Dayanidhi Maran under fire from new 2G expose

Opposition parties on Tuesday took on Union Textiles Minister 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, at a news conference, the main opposition 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?.

?Now we are asking very specific questions from Mr Dayanidhi Maran. Is it a fact that Maxis Communications has invested substantial amount in the family-owned company of Dayanidhi Maran – the Sun TV of Sun Direct?

?Secondly, was this investment done before Maxis Communication purchased Aircel or thereafter? And if it is true, is it not a case of direct conflict of interest?

?Because we need to know that the entire power to determine the price of spectrum was taken out of the purview of GoM upon the insistence of Dayanidhi Maran when he was the Telecom Minister,? said Prasad.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury also reacted to the Tehelka expose, saying that it raised suspicions over the culpability of “some people” in Congress-led cabinet, and demanded action from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

?New information is coming to light as a result of which new people’s culpability, those in the cabinet are being raised. The law should take its own course and there should be no impediment,? he said.

The Congress however, refused to comment on the issue. ?If Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran has been asked a few questions, he’s in the best position to answer them,” Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said.

?But I must mention here that the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) is doing its job. It will examine all issues including the telecom policy through the years,? he added, referring to an ongoing probe into the 2G scandal.

Meanwhile, Maran on Monday reportedly sent a legal notice to the Tehelka, calling the report a ?blatant and concocted lie? and threatened to sue the magazine.

?The reports published in the magazine are totally false, defamatory, derogatory and has been published with a malafide intention and ulterior motive,? the notice read, according to media reports.

Tehelka, however, said it was yet to receive such a notice.

?Mr Maran, now Union Minister for Textiles, has threatened to sue Tehelka over this story. We are yet to get the legal notice. However, given the nature of stories we do, such notices are par for the course and merely an intimidatory tactic,? a note from the magazine said.

?This expose is a glaring example of the sort of crony capitalism that is crippling the country and damaging its reputation worldwide,? said Tehelka Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhury on Tuesday.

The 2G spectrum scandal has come as the biggest blow to the Congress-led coalition government at the Centre in recent years as opposition parties have whacked it with the issue at every opportunity since late last year.

The allegations have seriously undermined the Congress-DMK alliance and after a resounding defeat for the alliance in the DMK?s home state Tamil Nadu, there were reports of cracks within the partnership.

Analysts say, as the 2G storm intensifies and takes in more DMK casualties, the the ruling coalition government which holds a thin majority in the parliament could come under pressure if the south Indian party pulls out.