Having been together for nearly seven years now, the Congress-DMK relationship seems to have run into rough weather. According to Congress sources, Mr A. Raja has become a liability and that all options are on the table and a final decision would be taken in consultation with the DMK once Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returns from Seoul. The DMK, according to sources, feels that the Congress not being in a position to impose its will on it — due to coalition compulsions — has started hitting below the belt by deliberately and secretively releasing the CAG report to the media.
The DMK, angered by this, is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. On the one hand, continuing to defend Mr Raja will deprive the party of any moral standing but on the other hand, giving into the demand of the Opposition will also amount to playing into the hands of Ms Jayalalithaa, who has been going hammer and tongs on the DMK. Added to that, Mr Raja also happens to be the dalit face of the party. And the DMK is aware of the political repercussions of removing Mr Raja, especially when Assembly polls are round the corner, as that would amount to the admission of guilt.
According to sources, it was communicated to the DMK leadership by the congress to withdraw A Raja from the union cabinet but that was rejected by the DMK chief Mr Karunanidhi.
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CAG report is given to Prez
Age Correspondent
new delhi
Nov. 10: With the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) submitting its final report in connection with the auction of 2G spectrum to the President on Wednesday, the noose around IT minister A. Raja, who is allegedly involved in the shady deals, may have tightened further. As per the CAG report, it is learnt that the minister has caused the government to lose around `1,76,000 crores.