DMK president and chief minister M. Karunanidhi on Wednesday got his party’s backing for daughter Kanimozhi in her battle against the CBI case accusing her of involvement in the 2G spectrum scam, arguing that saving her meant saving the DMK from conspirators out to sully its image.

DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, while presenting his case in support of his daughter before a high-level party committee that included his two sons, M.K. Stalin and M.K. Alagiri, and grand-nephew Dayanidhi Maran, was careful not to directly criticise the CBI and his Congress ally even as he expressed “surprise” that his daughter, Ms

Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK supremo M. Karunanidhi is seething with anger that the Congress leadership let him down in the hour of crisis in the 2G spectrum scam, but his immediate family is urging him to keep his cool and not take any precipitate action in retaliation.

Tamil Nadu administration will be in limbo till May 13, when the election result will be announced and the next government takes charge. The state bureaucratic machinery has never experienced such an extended lull and recess. The government will not take any major decisions during this period; there will be no contracts, no review meetings, and no transfers. But yes, there could be lot of pleasure travelling by the babus and ministers.

Albeit the “like-never-before” Election Commission crackdown on several fronts, the poll heat has finally picked up in the Dravidian heartland with leaders of various political parties making pit stop

At last, the CBI filed a chargesheet on Saturday before a special court accusing former Union minister and DMK propaganda secretary A. Raja of conspiring with bureaucrats and business honchos to cause a loss of `30,984 crore in the allocation of 2G spectrum.

The AIADMK has released a fresh list of candidates after successfully pacifying its upset allies.

Barring two elder members of his Cabinet, DMK president M. Karunanidhi has re-nominated all ministers in the list of 119 party candidates he announced here on Thursday.

Several sitting DMK legislators and even some ministers have lost their constituencies in the final list of 63 seats announced for the Congress on Tuesday at the end of marathon negotiations.

CPI national secretary D. Raja is a Rajya Sabha member hailing from a humble background in a rural hamlet near Gudiyaatham in Vellore district. A dedicated Communist since his teenage years, Mr Raja has emerged as one of the frontline leaders of the party. He spoke to The Asian Age about his party’s determination to retain power in Kerala and West Bengal.