The ruling Congress party on Sunday appeared closer than ever before to getting controversial telecom minister A Raja out, despite the DMK?s continued defiance. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi met briefly on the matter on the sidelines of a function in Parliament during the day and Singh is expected to make a statement in the House on Monday. Sources said the PM?s statement would mollify the Opposition baying for blood although no confirmation was available if Raja would indeed be made to quit immediately.
Raja, on his part, declared rather defiantly on his way from Chennai to Delhi that he would not be resigning. In fact, the action shifted from Delhi to Chennai on Sunday with the DMK top brass huddling in the city to come to a decision on whether the man they imposed on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will continue in the government.
A top DMK leader who spoke to FE on condition of anonymity said Raja would stick to his defiance but added that ?you never know in politics.? This means that there has been tremendous pressure from the Congress on the DMK for Raja?s resignation. And the blandishments used by the DMK leader M Karunanidhi that Raja was being targeted since he was a Dalit may not hold this time.
Senior Cabinet ministers Pranab Mukherjee and P Chidamabaram spoke to Karun-anidhi on Sunday and conveyed pretty much the same sentiment. Mukherjee was also present in the meeting between Singh and Gandhi.
?The Congress has acted swiftly on allegations of corruption against its own people, and every day of Raja?s continuance is hurting the government?s image. But then materially nothing much has changed between last year and today, except that the Supreme Court?s adverse comments on the minister may make his continuance morally untenable,? said a senior Cabinet minister.
The DMK has always tread its own path in the UPA and pretty much had its own way in the government. Despite the Prime Minister being against the inclusion of Raja as telecom minister in his Cabinet in 2009, he had to buckle under pressure and had to back off everytime the clamour for Raja?s resignation arose. ?With the DMK, what finally transpires between M Karunanidhi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi if and when they meet will decide the course of events,? said a top Congress source.
The Congress top brass in fact went into its own huddle since Sunday morning, first in Parliament after a function commemorating the birthday of Jawahar Lal Nehru, clearly at a loss on how to get Karunanidhi to come around to acquiescing Raja?s resignation.