Daijiworld Media Network
New Delhi, Jun 25: Textiles minister Dayanidhi Maran may soon lose his place in the Cabinet for his alleged role in the 2G spectrum scam, sources said on Friday June 25.
The government is likely to go in for a reshuffle of the Cabinet soon, and reports of new revelations alleging Maran's role in the scam suggest that he may not be retained.
The main allegation levelled against Maran is that he forced Aircel owner C Sivasankaran to sell his company to Maran's Malaysia-based friend T Ananda Krishnan in 2006.
It is alleged that Maran deliberately delayed issuing spectrum licences to Aircel's sister concern, Dishnet Wireless, when it was owned by Sivasankaran. But soon after Ananda Krishnan took charge, the licences were issued.
Despite demands over his resignation by the opposition both in Delhi and in Tamil Nadu, DMK has reportedly told Maran to stay on and attend cabinet meetings. Maran is the third DMK leader to be tainted in the 2G scam, with A Raja and Kanimozhi already behind bars.
Maran was the telecom minister from 2004 to 2007 in the UPA I government, before Raja took over.
The CBI has already begun to probe his role, and the civil society groups have filed a petition in the Supreme Court.
Within four months of the spectrum allocation, Astro - a sister company of Maxis - got cabinet nod to buy Rs 675 crore equity in Sun Direct DTH, a company owned by Maran's brother Kalanidhi Maran and family, the reports have pointed out.
On June 6, Sivasankaran in his statement to the CBI reiterated the charge that he was forced to sell the company. Maran denied the allegation saying Sivasankaran was keen on selling the company.
The CBI is likely to complete the initial probe in the allegations against Maran in two to three weeks and file a report, sources said. If it finds substance in the allegations, Maran is likely to be questioned. This can lead to a new cases against him.
Maran has been on the backfoot after fresh media reports surfaced regarding his involvement. Though he filed defamation cases against Tehelka and the New Indian Express for the initial reports, he has not initiated any action against several Delhi-based newspapers and TV channels which have carried details of the scam, sources said.
On the political front, the chorus for his resignation is gaining momentum. "Maran should resign at the earliest. Otherwise, he will be forced to go the Raja way," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.
Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja said that the "complicity of Maran in a bigger scam than of A Raja is unfolding day by day." He should quit, he demanded.
The opposition parties will demand Maran's resignation in the coming monsoon session, if he does not resign by then, Janata Dal-United general secretary Javed Raza said.
Trouble is brewing for Maran on another front: the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on 2G spectrum will be summoning him soon.
"We are calling all former telecommunication ministers, that includes Maran," JPC chief PC Chacko said.
As the clouds gather against Maran, the Congress is cautiously watching the scenario. So far, the party had left it to the besieged DMK minister to defend himself.
With IANS inputs