A Raja ‘celebrates’ Maran’s resignation

It was celebration time for former Union Telecom Minister A Raja when the news broke out on Thursday that Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran had resigned, as Raja, who was brought from Tihar jail to a court at that time, ‘distributed’ sweets to those around him, including to DMK president M Karunanidhi’s wife Rajathi Ammal.
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If sources are to be believed, those in the DMK and the employees of Kalaignar TV too were happy with the resignation of Maran, as they believe that he was the reason behind the action taken against Raja and Kanimozhi over the 2G spectrum scam.

‘He (Maran) raised the (spectrum) issue without knowing that he too would become a victim of the scam. In fact, it was during his tenure as Telecom Minister the scandal was given birth,’ sources say.

For 44-year-old Dayanidhi Maran, it turned out to be unlucky for the second time on Thursday.
While the family politics in the then first family of Tamilnadu cut short his tenure in the Union Ministry in 2007, the multi-crore 2G spectrum scam has cost him his place in the Central Cabinet, now.

Bowing to relentless pressure launched by a determined Opposition following allegations of arm-twisting Sivasankaran- led Aircel to sell its stakes to Malaysia-based Maxis in 2006, Maran finally put in his papers Thursday.

Without much of a political experience, he got elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 2004 and was made Union Telecom Minister in UPA-I.

After being cold-shouldered by the DMK, Maran, who is the grand nephew of DMK president M Karunanidhi and son of former DMK ideologue Murasoli Maran, won the confidence of the party high command and got elected in 2009. He again became Union Minister, but was allotted a less significant Textiles portfolio in UPA-II