While the Congress spent all of on Thursday dismissing talk of a rift within the government and its top ministers, the United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA) principal ally down south welcomed the surfacing of a Finance ministry note that suggests complicity of the then minister P Chidamabaram in the spectrum allocation issue. An elated Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) stated, that this “vindicates its stand.”
The party’s Telecom minister A Raja has been behind bars for his role in the scam. Two other prominent members, Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimzohi and Dayanidhi Maran (a minister at that time) were disgraced in the wake of the scam.
While National Congress Party and Trinamool Congress refrained from making an official comment on the issue being partners in the government; sources within both parties believed the ministry note showed the complicity of Chidamabaram.
For the DMK, it is almost pay day. Party supremo M Karunanidhi said Raja had “always maintained” that the Prime Minister and Chidambaram were kept in the loop. “If Chidambaram is found guilty, it is for him to decide on resigning,” he said in Chennai
DMK sources say the party believes the note on Chidambaram will help Kanimozhi and Raja in their trial -- and they could not have been a better weapon to leverage their strained relations with the Congress.
DMK spokesperson T K Elangovan said the crux of the entire case was that Raja violated all advice by the PM and the finance ministry. “The letter says that the then finance minister had agreed to the fixed price, non-auction rule. This vindicates Raja’s stand.”