2G scam: DMK general council to assess impact of Raja's arrest

Chennai, Feb 3 (ANI): The Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) General Council will meet here on Thursday to discuss the political situation arising out of the arrest of former Telecom Minister A Raja.

The General Council of DMK, which has already firmed up its alliance with Congress for the elections, due in May, will discuss its relationship with that party in the wake of Raja's arrest and its tie-ups with some other parties, including Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi.

The party's tie-up with PMK will also come for discussion.

The meeting will take place amid pressure from within a section of the Karunanidhi family to distance the party from the former Telecom Minister.

Karunanidhi's son and Union minister MK Azhagiri has been demanding the suspension of A Raja from the party. This demand has the support of his brother and deputy Chief Minister MK Stalin.

The CBI arrested Raja along with his personal secretary RK Chandolia and former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura on Wednesday in connection with the 2G scam.

The investigating agency questioned Raja for the fourth time on Wednesday. He was questioned earlier on December 24 and 25 last year and on January 31.

The Supreme Court has asked the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to submit status reports on their investigations into the 2G scam to it by February 10, when the case will come up for hearing.

Earlier this week, a report by a one-man commission, Justice Shivraj Patil, was handed over to new Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal. Justice Patil was asked in December to look into whether officials in the Telecom Ministry had, since 1991, violated government procedures and guidelines for allocating spectrum.

The CBI in its first information report had mentioned the loss as Rs.22, 000 crore based on the findings of Central Vigilance Commission, which had referred the case to it.

Raja was forced to resign from Union Cabinet last year after a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) faulted him for undervaluing spectrum to favour companies who were largely ineligible for 2G spectrum, and added that the government had probably lost Rs.1.76 lakh crore in estimated revenue. (ANI)