Veerasamy leaves for Delhi as Karunanidhi's emissary

Chennai, May 14 (UNI) DMK Treasurer and Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Arcot N Veerasamy today left for New Delhi as an emissary of party President and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, in the backdrop of the Dayanidhi Maran resignation controversy.

Before emplaning, he told newspersons at the airport here that he was carrying separate letters to Dr Singh and Ms Gandhi from Mr Karunanidhi and he would meet them separately and hand over the letters.

DMK party sources said Mr Veerasamy carried the letters based on the resolutions passed at yesterday's Administrative Committee meeting, which sought the removal of Union IT and Communications Minister from the Cabinet and authorised Mr Karunanidhi and party General Secretary K Anbazhagan to take immediate steps in this regard.

Mr Veerasamy refused to reveal the contents of the letters, saying he did not know what was in them.

Asked whether the letters quoted any name to be sworn in as Union Minister in the wake of Mr Maran's resignation, he said he was going to meet the leaders as an emissary of Mr Karunanidhi, and if they give any reply, he would hand it over to Mr Karunanidhi.

Regarding Mr Maran's reported remark that even after losing his Ministership in the Union Cabinet, he would continue as a Lok Sabha member of the party and work for people's welfare, Mr Veerasamy said ''it is his right, I have nothing to say on it.'' UNI