Jayalalithaa turns 2G heat on Dayanidhi Maran

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday demanded the resignation Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran from the central Cabinet for his alleged role in the 2G spectrum scam when he held the telecom portfolio.

“The PM should ask for Mr Dayanidhi Maran’s resignation from the Cabinet. I am sure the PM will do it if he has not already done it,” said Jayalalithaa.

“So Mr Maran should resign from the cabinet and face legal proceedings,” she said.

Opposition parties on Tuesday took on Union Textiles Minister and DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran over corruption allegations levelled against him by a magazine report earlier this week, as the fallout from the massive 2G telecoms scandal seemed broaden.

The cover story of the June 4 issue of Tehelka magazine published online claimed that during his tenure as the federal telecoms minister in 2006, Maran had allowed carrier licenses to an operator only after it struck a deal with him to invest in his family-owned television network.

?While businessman Mr Sivasankaran owned (mobile operator) Aircel, Maran refused to give him telecom licences. However, soon after Sivasankaran sold Aircel to Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan of the Maxis group, Maran released 14 licences in lucrative circles,? the magazine said.

?A few months after this, in a clear case of conflict of interest, Krishnan invested Rs 700 crore in Sun TV and Sun Radio, wholly owned by Dayanidhi?s brother, Kalanidhi Maran and his wife,? Tehelka reported.

Maran is part of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), an ally of the Congress party and the part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre, whose members have been accused of masterminding the 2G spectrum scandal.

On Tuesday Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad took on the the textiles minister, questioning him over the issue and seeking replies in ?national interest?.