Maran quits from Union Cabinet

14 May 2007

Chennai: Union IT and Communications Minister Dayandhi Maran resigned from Union Cabinet last night after his party, the DMK, sought his removal from the cabinet serving him a notice asking why he should not be expelled from the primary membership of the party.

Rejecting charges of betraying the DMK, Maran said he was ready to quit the cabinet and the party if it satisfied chief minister M Karunanidhi and his sons.

Earlier, the party''s administrative committee, which met at the DMK headquarters in the evening, passed resolutions accusing Maran of acting in violation of party discipline and tarnishing its image.

According to a statement from the party, "The approach and activities of Dayanidhi Maran, who is holding the IT and communications portfolio on behalf of the DMK, have tended to destroy party discipline, and he has also been acting in a manner detrimental to the party''s image. Therefore, this administrative committee asks president Karunanidhi and general secretary K Anbazhagan to take immediate steps to have him removed from the union cabinet," the statement said.

Maran''s fate seemed sealed when chief minister and DMK president M Karunanidhi accused the newspaper run by Maran''s brother, Kalanidhi Maran, of trying to create confusion among party members by conducting dubious opinion polls on political issues, including one relating to a possible successor to Karunanidhi.

Karunanidhi supports Azhagiri and did not mention the violence indulged in by his supporters and blamed it on Dinakaran''s opinion polls.