Cong-DMK ties may take a hit

The Congress-DMK alliance in Tamil Nadu could hit another turbulence with the CBI planning to chargesheet DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi and his second wife Dayalu Ammal, as the 2G scam money trail has led up to them.

The Congress-DMK alliance in Tamil Nadu could hit another turbulence with the CBI planning to chargesheet DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi and his second wife Dayalu Ammal, as the 2G scam money trail has led up to them.

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The CBI has concluded that Dynamix Realty, a firm of the scam-accused Vinod Goenka and Shahid Usman Balwa-promoted DB Realty Group, paid around Rs 200 crore to Kalaignar TV, owned by the DMK first family, between December 2008 and August 2009.

Karunanidhi's second wife Dayalu Ammal holds 60% stake in Kalaignar, while Kanimozhi - his daughter from third wife Rajathi Ammal - holds 20%. The rest is held by Kalaignar managing director Sharad Kumar.

The big question now is that if the CBI charges Kanimozhi and Dayalu, will they be arrested?

Of course, with the assembly polls behind them, the two parties need not worry about the fallout on the electorate.

But Karunanidhi may not take it kindly if the chargesheet names his family members.

In case the combine wins, Karunanidhi may be dependent on the Congress for forming government as his party contested only 120 of the 234 seats and left 63 seats for the Congress.

If Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK wins the elections, Karunanidhi could think of his party's 18-MP strength in the Lok Sabha to force the Centre to be soft on his family. And in the event of the DMK turning recalcitrant, the AIADMK expects the Congress to seek its help. It has 9 MPs.

The Rs 200-crore payment was made to Kalaignar TV through two DB Group companies -Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd and Kusegaon Fruits Vegetables Pvt Ltd, now known as Kusegaon Realty.

Both Balwa and Sharad Kumar claimed that there was no connection between the "loan deal" they signed in 2009 and the 2G spectrum allocation. Kalaignar TV reportedly paid back the amount with an interest of Rs 31 crore.

According to the sources, Balwa wanted to invest in Green House Promoters, a company floated by Raja's aide AM Sadique Batcha, who died recently under mysterious circumstances.

But when the involvement of Raja's relatives in Green House became public - Raja's wife was a director in the company - the idea was dropped and the Kalaignar route was adopted.