Swamy seeks guv's nod to prosecute Karuna

CHENNAI: Janata Party president Subramaniam Swamy on Monday sought permission from governor Surjit Singh Barnala to prosecute Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi for allegedly allotting land to a "favoured few" under the government's discretionary quota (GDQ) in "violation" of rules.

On Sunday, Karunanidhi had sent a legal notice to Swamy for alleging that he was a beneficiary in the 2G spectrum scam.

Speaking to reporters after submitting his petition at the governor's office (he couldn't meet Barnala), Swamy said, "He (Karunanidhi) has violated every rule and allotted land to a favoured few."

Swamy claimed he had enough evidence to prove the charges and that he had sought permission from the governor to approach a special court to file criminal cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act against the CM and others.

This is the second time Swamy has sought sanction to prosecute a Tamil Nadu CM. In 1995, he had sought and got sanction from governor M Channa Reddy to prosecute then CM J Jayalalithaa in the TANSI ( Tamil Nadu Small Industries) land case. In a turn of events, Jayalalithaa on Monday backed Swamy's petition against Karunanidhi.