Raja suffering for good deeds: Karuna

Chennai, Feb 3 (PTI) Putting up a stout defence of formerTelecom Minster A Raja arrested in 2g spectrum scam case,Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today said he was suffering injail only because he helped mobile phone facilities reach thepoor and downtrodden and played the caste card.

Likening Raja to King Mahabali of Kerala, Karunanidhi tolda public meeting here that the Hindu mythology had it thatMahabali had to suffer for the good things he did for thepeople and due to the upper caste people.

''''Like that, Raja, a Dalit, had made available mobiletelephony services at affordable cost to the poor. He issuffering for that now,'''' he said in his first remarks on thearrest of Raja projected as the party''s Dalit face.

The opposition parties had targeted Raja and DMK becausethey formed the pillar of the "downtrodden or Shudras", hesaid addressing a rally here in a virtual launch of theparty''s campaign for coming assembly polls.

Karunanidhi indicated that the main thrust of thecampaign would be performance and development.

Having a dig at Left Front government in West Bengal, hesaid the ''human injustice'' of a man pulling a rickshaw stillcontinued in the streets of Kolkata while his government hadas early as in 1971 abolished them and replaced withcycle-rickshaws.

Likewise, his government had introduced several schemesduring the past five years but the "flag ship" programme ofhis government was the Kalaignar Housing Scheme aimed atmaking Tamil Nadu a hut-free state.

"Do not have any doubt about the scheme. We will remainin power and implement it fully,'''' he said.

He also had a dig at the media when he charged a sectionof them with carrying "malicious reports" against DMK "in abid to oust" his government.