CM Jayalalithaa asks Dayanidhi Maran to resign

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has resorted to straight talk on the allegations raised about union textiles minister Dayanidhi Maran, asking him to resign from the cabinet.

"The prime minister should ask for Mr Dayanidhi Maran's resignation from the cabinet. I'm sure that the prime minister will will do it, if he has not already done so. Mr Dayanidhi Maran must resign from the cabinet and face legal proceedings", Jayalalithaa said here today.

The chief minister's comment follows strong criticism of Dayanidhi Maran by the BJP leadership after allegations that the Maxis group, which had been issued telecom licences when Maran was the telecom minister, had later made investments in the Sun TV group that is controlled by Dayanidhi Maran's brother, Kalanidhi Maran.

The new development has brought more pressure on the DMK in Tamil Nadu, following the crushing defeat it suffered in the recent assembly polls, in which it could secure only 23 seats.