2g ousts maran

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In the wake of the CBI naming him in the status report submitted to the Supreme Court on the 2G spectrum allocation scam on Wednesday, Union textiles minister Dayanidhi Maran submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday. With this, he has become the second DMK minister at the Centre to fall victim to the 2G spectrum scam.

Former communications minister A. Raja is already behind bars over the scam. Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi, daughter of DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, is also in jail for her alleged involvement in the scam. Ms Kanimozhi was named by the CBI as a co-conspirator along with A. Raja.
Mr Maran was forced to resign after both the Prime Minister and the DMK chief refused to back him any more. Sources said that soon after the Congress core committee met on Wednesday, Dr Singh spoke to DMK parliamentary party leader T.R. Balu and told him it was difficult to allow Mr Maran to remain a member of the government after the CBI had named him in the 2G status report. Mr Balu then telephoned the DMK supremo and apprised him of the situation, who in turn asked him (Balu) to inform Mr Maran to put in his papers, the sources said.
The Prime Minister’s Office has so far not said a word on the matter. President Pratibha Patil is now in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh and is expected back in New Delhi on Friday night.
It is learnt that soon after Mr Balu and Mr Maran spoke on the phone, the latter called up the DMK chief directly and sought a month’s time to prove his “innocence”. As that was not allowed, he had no option but to quit the Cabinet, the sources added. In order to make sure that there was no more haggling, Mr Balu met Mr Maran on Thursday morning to reiterate the party chief’s instruction that he step down, the sources said.
While speculation raged about his future in the government, Mr Maran arrived at the Prime Minister’s 7 Race Course Road residence on Friday morning to attend the regular Cabinet meeting, during which he did not take part when the question of licences for FM channels was taken up for discussion, citing a conflict of interest. His brother Kalanithi Maran owns a media empire that includes FM channels.
After the Cabinet meeting, Mr Maran returned to his residence, and then went back to the Prime Minister’s house to submit his resignation. In Chennai, reacting to Mr Maran’s resignation, Mr Karunanidhi backed the minister and accused the media of defaming him. He said: “The DMK will back Maran. In the whole world, particularly in India, the media is ruling. It can defame anyone.”
Minister of state for health Gandhi Selvan, minister of state for finance Palanimanickam and DMK MP A.K.S. Vijayan called on Mr Maran after his resignation. Later on Thursday evening, Mr Balu also called on him.
Mr Maran came under the scanner after it was clear that he had “forced” Aircel founder-promoter and former chief Sivasankaran to sell his stake in the company to a Malaysian firm in 2006 when he (Maran) was communications minister in the UPA-1 government. His position became even more untenable after his name was included in the 2G scam status report filed by the CBI in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.