DMK chief meets Chidamabram, cancels flight back home
New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, who had Monday come to the national capital on a "personal visit" to meet his jailed daughter and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi, cancelled his trip back home and met Home Minister P. Chidamabaram for about 15 minutes.
The decision to cancel the trip was sudden and was taken after the former Tamil Nadu chief met his daughter.
"The DMK party chief who came here today (Monday) morning met the home minister for about 15 minutes in the hotel (Taj Mansingh). He cancelled his flight (back to Chennai), which he had to board at 8 pm. tonight (Monday night). He might leave tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon," a DMK MP told IANS.
The DMK leader also said the decision to stay back and meet home minister was taken soon after his meeting with his 43-year-old daughter, former telecom minister A. Raja and Sharad Kumar, the managing director of the family-run Kalaignar TV, all of whom have been jailed in the 2G spectrum scam.
"It is an important meeting, as the emotional Karunanidhi met his adorable daughter Kanimozhi for the first time ever since she was arrested and sent to jail," the DMK MP said, without giving any details about the meeting.
He, however, said the meeting was arranged at short notice and thus is politically significant.
He also said that the 87-year-old DMK chief, who is wheel-chair bound, was finding it difficult to move around the Taj Mansingh Hotel and so shifted to another five-star hotel, Maurya Sheraton.
The DMK chief had reached the high security jail at 5.43 p.m. and left in an hour at around 6.45 p.m.
Karunanidhi first met his daughter and then former telecom minister A. Raja and Kalaignar TV managing director Sharad Kumar. "While the family met Kanimozhi, the DMK leader met the two others alone," the DMK leader said.