Raja may have cost nation Rs1.7Lcr but DMK says no need to resign. (Source : Times of India ; Date- 11 Nov 2010)

Despite the growing pressure on the Congress to take action against Telecom minister A Raja, key ally DMK has refused to budge from its position saying that there is no need for the minister to resign.

DMK spokesperson T Elangovan has rubbished the allegations by the opposition saying that it was a political conspiracy against A Raja.

Maintaining that Raja followed all the regulations of TRAI, Elangovan said that the report by the CAG was not foolproof and could be wrong.

"Why should he (Raja) resign? How can you compare him with Kalmadi and Chavan, as inquiry committees confirmed the two leaders' role in the respective irregularities? Whatever Raja did was based on TRAI norms. The CBI investigation is on, let it end first," said DMK MP TKS Elangovan.

Sources in the government acknowledged that the CAG's ``pinpointed'' indictment of Raja in the Rs 1.7 lakh crore 2G spectrum scam may have rendered his stay untenable, and indicated that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may be constrained to speak with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi after his return from the G20 summit in Seoul on Friday.

Pranab Mukherjee, finance minister and government's chief troubleshooter, had a meeting with the telecom minister who has resolutely proclaimed his innocence but has lately been looking beleaguered in view of the CAG report and adverse remarks by the Supreme Court on a petition alleging inaction in investigating the spectrum scam.

Karunanidhi has so far stonewalled discreet suggestions from Congress that Raja be asked to step down to dispel the darkening cloud of corruption over UPA-2. The DMK chief argued that the telecom minister needed to stay in view of the asssembly elections scheduled for next year.

But with the CAG report adding to the opposition's already formidable armoury, Congress feels the need for swift action.

Before the censure from CAG, Supreme Court had expressed its annoyance with his continuation in government in the face of allegations of a scam on his watch.