Both are in Tihar jail in connection with their alleged role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
The general council of the DMK which met here also backed Dayanidhi Maran who became the latest DMK member to bow out of the union cabinet
The DMK accused the CBI of having a bias in striving to deny the bail pleas of Raja and Kanimozhi. Dayanidhi Maran was among the senior leaders who attended the deliberations of the party leadership here.
“Having a 20% shareholding in the (Kalaignar) television channel that is alleged to have received funds is held as a crime against Kanimozhi and the channel’s official Sarath Kumar, and the CBI has shown undue haste and bias in dealing with them,” stated party resolution after the general council.
“The manner in which the CBI is opposing Kanimozhi’s bail pleas appears to be done with some partisan intention to keep her behind bars,” one of the resolutions said. The party leadership said her continued imprisonment was against the principle of natural justice.
Making a strong case for Kanimozhi’s release, the general council pointed out statements by law minister Salman Khurshid and former law minister Veerappa Moily, and even BJP leaders Jawant Singh and Yashwant Sinha that a person should not be allowed to languish in prison until proven guilty.
Terming the estimated loss in the 2G spectrum allocation was a notional loss, the general council said the resignations of its party members was with the intention of proving their innocence, including the recent resignation of Dayanidhi Maran. The resolution said the party continued to keep faith in the judiciary.
Karunanidhi continues to lead DMK
Meanwhile the DMK after the meet announced that M Karunanidhi would continue to lead the party and made no change to its alliance with the Congress.
The 2-day General Council, which began on Saturday, also remained silent on replacements in the Union Cabinet for two of its nominees — A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran — who quit over the 2G spectrum scam.
“The Dravidian movement continues to be led by Karunanidhi,” a resolution passed at the Council said, in a clear message to the warring siblings party treasure M K Stalin and Union Minister M K Alagiri against raking up the succession issue.
Supporters of Stalin had on Saturday vociferously pitched for a greater role for their leader which was resented by Alagiri’s followers.
The issue was ultimately laid to rest by an upset Karunanidhi himself who reportedly asked the Executive meeting whether they wanted him to step down.
The top decision making body of DMK, a partner of UPA, also chose to remain silent on the issue of its ties with Congress, despite indications earlier that a section of leaders was against continuing the seven-year old alliance.
Karunanidhi has repeatedly made his displeasure known over the continued imprisonment of his daughter and had even blamed the Centre for her plight.
In another resolution supported Karunanidhi’s stand that the Prime Minister should also be brought under the ambit of the proposed Lokpal.