DMK silent on Kanimozhi arrest
Chennai, May 20 (IANS) Leaders of Tamil Nadu's DMK were not available for comment after a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in New Delhi Friday refused bail to Kanimozhi, daughter of party chief and former chief minister M. Karunanidhi. The Lok Sabha member was later taken into custody.
Leaders of DMK and its allies, the Congress and PMK were not available for comments on the developments.
However, other parties termed the development as a heavy blow for Karunanidhi, and said it could mean the beginning of the DMK's decline.
"The denial of bail was expected and was no news. However, the real conspirator is Karunanidhi for whom the money was intended. Law should take its own course and reach Karunanidhi," DMDK leader Panruti S. Ramachandran told IANS.
According to him, it is the start of DMK's decline.
"The fish rots from the head. The DMK party owes its sustenance to Karunanidhi's family. Here the leader's family is involved and DMK will decline," he said.
He said the arrest of Kanimozhi will be a personal and emotional blow for Karunanidhi, but ruled out any impact on the central government supported by DMK.
"It is immaterial whether the DMK party is in or out of the government. The central government will not fall," Ramachandran said.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP T.K. Rangarajan echoed similar views.
"The Congress can carry on without DMK. The law has taken its course in arresting Kanimozhi. The DMK may not withdraw its support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government."
The CBI had named Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV chief Sharad Kumar as co-conspirators in its April 25 supplementary charge sheet after it traced an illegal money trail of Rs.214 crore in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
Along with Kanimozhi, the CBI court also denied bail to Sharad Kumar, managing director of Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd which is promoted by family members of Karunanidhi.