March 6: What really went wrong between the DMK and the Congress? The real trouble, the Congress sources said, was not over the number of seats in the Assembly election but the UPA’s rejection of DMK boss, Mr M. Karunanidhi’s plea to “go slow” on the 2G spectrum scam investigation.
With the Congress flatly rejecting this as it is a court-monitored probe, the DMK chief unilaterally decided to break ties. The sources said Mr Karunanidhi is extremely concerned about the investigation’s next stage, when his daughter, Ms Kanimozhi, may be questioned on the `200 crore loan allegedly given by Shahid Balwa’s Swan Telecom (now Etisalat-DB Telecom) to Kalaignar TV.
He also fears the CBI might grill his second wife, Ms Dayalu, on the same issue. Both Ms Kanimozhi and Ms Dayalu have stakes in Kalaignar TV. The sources noted that a mere three seats (the Congress sought 63, the DMK was willing to concede 60) could not lead to the alliance breaking. By his manoeuvring, Mr Karunanidhi has ensured that if the CBI goes after his family now, he can claim victimisation.