A RAJA STAYING OFF JPC DEBATE

RAJA STAYING OFF JPC DEBATE



By R Rajagopalan

NEW DELHI: In deference to a directive from his DMK supremo M Karunanidhi, Arrested former telecom minister A Raja has dropped plans to participate in the Lok Sabha debate slated on Thursday on formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the irregularities in grant of the telecom licences.

Five DMK MPs called on him in Tihar Jails here on Wednesday to convey to him the wish of Karunanidhi to better lie low for the time being and not insist on going to Parliament on Thursday to join the JPC debate.

The party sources said Karunanidhi obliged the Congress that had approached him to persuade Raja not to precipitate any new problem by insisting on participating in the debate.

Earlier plans were that Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin, son of Karunanidhi, will fly to Delhi on Wednesday to meet him in place of his father and console him that the party continues to hold him in high esteem and sees all the charges of the 2G scam levelled on him as politically motivated that will not stand test of the law.

However, the party MPs were asked to go to Raja, who is in the judicial custody until March 3, and convey him the supremo's message since Stalin is tied up with the negotiations on the electoral alliance. They conveyed to Raja that the crucial DMK-Congress talks are slated on Friday and hence Karunanidhi will prefer that he does not open him mouth, putting the Congress to any embarrassment.

Meanwhile, an emissary of Karunanidhi conveyed to Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday that the party should climb down its demand for one-third seats in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and be realistic in contesting only on the seats it can win.

The emissary also made it known that the DMK cannot commit at present on the Congress demand for participation in the next government in the state as such deals can be considered only in the post-poll scenario.

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