Jayalalithaa slams Karunanidhi on spectrum issue

AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa today slammed chief minister M Karunanidhi for his remark that Union Telecom Minister A Raja was being targeted in the alleged 2G spectrum scam since he was a Dalit, describing it as "outrageous".

"By this outrageous remark, Karunanidhi hopes to neutralise Dalit leaders in parliament who are also baying for Raja's resignation," she said in a statement here.

She charged Raja with "ignoring specific instructions" of prime minister Manmohan Singh to keep him informed before taking any decision on the 2G spectrum sale and alleged that the minister also "overruled objections raised by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India."

During his recent trip to Delhi, Karunanidhi had defended Raja, saying "dominant forces are levelling malicious charges against him because he is a Dalit."

Opposition parties like BJP and AIADMK were batting for Raja's resignation in the wake of the allegations but Karunanidhi virtually ruled out their demands.