Will Karunanidhi condone the CBI raids on his clan?

Congress Party can say it wants to project the image that it does not condone corruption. The government has taken steps in various scams including Commonwealth Games, Adarsh Housing Society, 2 G Spectrum allocation and the like.

Now the CBI, which is being directed by the Supreme Court, is increasing the momentum of raids. And that includes the premises of those close to the DMK. The NGO with which Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi is associated has not been spared. Karunanidhi’s third wife Rajathiamma’s auditor has been raided. Kanimozhi is Karunanidhi’s daughter through Rajathiamma.

If sentimentality is to be reckoned, Karunanidhi should be rattled by these developments.

It is a fact, DMK cannot pull on its government in Tamil Nadu without the support of Congress MLAs in Tamil Nadu and the UPA II Government needs the support of 18 DMK MPs. In extreme case, the UPA II Government may survive with alternative support from other sources even if DMK pulls out of the coalition. The pull-out would harm DMK more than it would cause problems for the Congress. And Karunanidhi’s archrival Jayalalithaa is looking for an opportunity to squeeze through and form an alliance with the Congress.

It is amusing to think about the bland statement given out by the DMK earlier that it was amenable to a joint parliamentary committee probe into the 2 G spectrum allotment scam. Was it thinking that a CBI probe could be averted this way? But the CBI has been probing the issue on the basis of comments made by the Supreme Court. Therefore, even if a JPC probe was launched, the CBI investigation would have continued.

It seems the DMK and not the Congress which is in dire straits now.