By IANS,
New Delhi : DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi Sunday indicated that his party will not accept the opposition’s demand for the resignation of Telecom Minister A. Raja over the 2G spectrum-allocation controversy.
“I have not come here to convey good news to you people,” he said when asked by reporters about the opposition’s demand for Raja’s ouster.
The spectrum scam created a furore in parliament last week after a newspaper report on the tapping of phone conversations between a high-profile lobbyist and public relations firm owner and Communications Minister A. Raja alleged wrongdoing in the allocation of 2G spectrum.
Asked about his son and Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers M.K. Alagiri’s absence from parliament, which the opposition protested very strongly in parliament, he said the question should be put to the minister.
“You should ask him and not me,” he said.
Karunanidhi, who arrived in the capital Sunday morning, called on President Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan to invite her for the World Classical Tamil Conference, to be held at Coimbatore in June.
He expressed optimism about the president accepting his invitation.
“I am sure the president will be attending this historical event,” he said.
The DMK chief is expected to meet United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for political discussions Monday.
The DMK has 18 MPs in the Lok Sabha and is the second biggest component of the UPA.
DMK sources said Karunanidhi may discuss the possibility of advancing assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, due next year, in his meeting with Sonia Gandhi.
The chief minister is also expected to raise issues concerning the political settlement of Sri Lankan Tamils.