2G scam verdict may trigger political realignments in Tamil Nadu

DMK leader M.K. Stalin on Thursday welcomed as "historic" the court ruling in Delhi in the 2G spectrum case acquitting all the accused, which included prominent party leaders A. Raja and Kanimozhi.

As balloting was on in the R.K. Nagar Assembly constituency here, a beaming Stalin told reporters: "A historic judgement has been given... The case was filed in 2009. (It) was filed to defame and obliterate a political party."

The accused included former Telecom Minister Raja and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi, the daughter of party President M. Karunanidhi.

Hundreds of DMK activists trooped to the party headquarters here and celebrated the verdict. They burst firecrackers and distributed sweets.

Special Judge OP Saini acquitted all the accused in both the cases filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The alleged scam on the issue of licenses and allocation of 2G spectrum by the Department of Telecom occurred during the Congress-led UPA government's first tenure in 2008 but was widely reported in 2010 following a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).

Others in the DMK, including P Siva, as well as Congress leaders too expressed happiness over the verdict.

Puducherry Chief Minister and Congress leader V Narayanasamy said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gained political mileage due to its false campaign against Congress and DMK.

Tamil Nadu Congress leader S Thirunavukkarasar called it a victory of truth. He said the BJP came to power at the centre with its false campaign on the so-called scam.

The verdict may trigger political realignments in Tamil Nadu and the DMK will no longer be termed an "untouchable" on the issue of corruption, said political analyst Ramu Manivannan, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Madras.

The political analyst and professor in Madras Institute of Development Studies Prof C Lakshmanan told NH that this verdict can be seen as directly impacting the political equation in Tamil Nadu. “This opens a way for other coalitions and pressures. Present tie-ups may change because there is nothing impossible in politics. However, this verdict will strengthen DMK’s position. It can emerge as a potent political force. It has a firm ground in the state and popular support too. The surprising fact is that the CBI special court did not find a single evidence of the scam. This is a mockery of democracy. If there was nothing dubious then how and why did such a huge political upheaval take place- this question should be probed into. Who were those people who were projecting the entire thing as a huge scam?” he said.

According to Prof C Lakshmanan the BJP has completely taken hold of the present Annadramuk government of Tamil Nadu. The way the BJP controls the reins of all the institutions and pillars of democracy in the state is very dangerous to democracy itself. In such a situation, the political tactics and strategy at play will unfold in coming days.

"There will be realignment in the political scenario in Tamil Nadu following the verdict. Political parties may now gravitate towards the DMK without any hesitation as the shadow of 2G case is no more there," Manivannan also said.

"It is ironical that the DMK lost elections due to the alleged scam in 2G spectrum allocation to telecom companies. Now DMK will claim moral and political victory," Manivannan added.

With inputs from Bhasha Singh