Cornering the patriarch will, however, take time since the agency is still to collate information gathered from former telecom minister and DMK leader A Raja, his aides in the bureaucracy and arrested executives of companies that benefited from 2G spectrum allocation.
After raiding the offices of Kalaignar TV, which is closely linked to the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, CBI is gearing up to question party president and chief minister M Karunanidhi.
While reports of possible questioning of his daughter Kanimozhi have already come out, sources said CBI was not far away from Karunanidhi. Cornering the patriarch will, however, take time since the agency is still to collate information gathered from former telecom minister and DMK leader A Raja, his aides in the bureaucracy and arrested executives of companies that benefited from 2G spectrum allocation.
Evidence linking bribe money to Raja is being traced and the line of questioning for Kanimozhi and Karunanidhi on basis of the Niira Radia tapes is being prepared.
DMK, however, is unfazed. Sources close to Karunanidhi said he had decided to express full solidarity with Raja and may even visit Tihar Jail, where the former telecom minister is in judicial custody till March 3, during his Delhi trip for seat-sharing talks with Congress for the April-May Tamil Nadu assembly polls.
Congress is wary of the CM’s visit to Tihar because SC is monitoring the probe, but, sources said, Karunanidhi may still go ahead. He wants to send a strong signal to DMK workers that he won’t dump his trusted lieutenant.
The only problem for Karunanidhi is the long Chennai-Delhi flight. He is not keeping well and could not even get up from his chair to welcome the prime minister when the latter visited Chennai recently.
Meanwhile, a word has been sent to Delhi that Raja be treated as a political detainee. Sources in DMK said the former telecom minister was getting VIP treatment in Tihar because of his political clout in Tamil Nadu and since he still enjoys the confidence of Karunanidhi and can get things done in the state.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}