Kanimozhi: How a political novice got dragged into 2G quagmire

CHENNAI: Dragged rather reluctantly into politics, little would Kanimozhi have imagined that in just four years, she would plunge headlong into the biggest scam rocking the nation. Although brought up in the corridors of power watching her father build the DMK, Kanimozhi (43) was far from interested in entering politics. She was content with the occasional brush with power. That was until a feud broke out in the family and threatened to disturb the power equations.

The genesis of Kalaignar TV lies in the 2007 family feud that eventually redefined DMK politics . In May 2007, a survey in Dinakaran—a Tamil daily owned by the Maran brothers—as to who would succeed DMK president M Karunanidhi ran into trouble. DMK sympathizers went on the rampage, unleashing violence and killing three staff members of Dinakaran in its office in Madurai.

The stage was set for the ouster of Dayanidhi Maran and entry of Kanimozhi into politics.
Perhaps, it was the growing clout of the Maran brothers that provided a spur for some members of Karunanidhi’s family, particularly Kanimozhi herself, to take the political plunge. Kalaignar TV, too, was born out of their desire to counter the might of the Sun Network group and its virtual monopoly in small-screen entertainment. A DMK source was to confide later, ‘‘ Kanimozhi was among those in the family who heartily approved the move to launch a rival news channel to take on the Maran brothers.’’

Kani had also shown keen interest in playing a role in formulating the channel’s content. While she was to be inducted into the Kalaignar TV board, plans changed. Sources say it was due to delays caused by certain formalities. But she held 20% of the shares in the company, which got her embroiled in the 2G scam. What really got her in trouble was her proximity to A Raja and her determination to ensure that he replaced Dayanidhi Maran as the new telecom minister in UPA-2 after the 2009 Lok Sabha election. The Niira Radia tapes only corroborated allegations that she had lobbied for Raja to get the telecom portfolio , thus laying the ground for a possible nexus in the allocation of 2G spectrum.