New Delhi: Federal Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran Thursday called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh amid speculation that he would be dropped from the council of ministers in the impending cabinet reshuffle.
Maran, who represents the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the Lok Sabha, met Singh in New Delhi on Thursday afternoon.
With Prime Minister Singh admitting before senior editors that his government is being termed as most corrupt ever during Wednesday interaction, chances of Singh getting rid of ministers accused of corruption are rated high. Maran tops the list of the tainted ministers.
2G spectrum allocation
Maran is in trouble over the 2G spectrum allocation scam as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is building up a case against him. Maran was the telecom minister in the previous government and is accused of forcing a local telecom company of selling stakes to a Singapore-based company which invested heavily in the Maran family run Sun TV.
Two senior DMK leaders, namely A. Raja who was the telecom minister when 2G spectrum were allocated to a chosen few companies at throwaway prices and DMK chief M. Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi are already in prison due to their alleged roles in the Rs. 1.76 trillion scam.
A defiant Maran, however, rubbished suggestions that he met the prime minister to offer his resignation. "I briefed the PM on my department and I am still a minister in the Cabinet," Maran said after the meeting.
