Jaya demands Maran's resignation over alleged kickbacks

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa demanded the resignation of Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran following reports that his family-owned Sun TV Network was a beneficiary of pay-offs by a Malaysian company which benefited from equity sold by Aircel.

Speaking to reporters here, Jayalalithaa said "Maran should quit and face legal proceedings" even as she demanded the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the issue.

"I am quite sure the Prime Minister would know what has to be done and I am sure he would do it. The Prime Minister should ask for Maran''s resignation from the cabinet. I am sure the PM will do it, if he has not already done it," she said.

While the UPA government, in which DMK is a constituent, has maintained a studied silence over the issue, opposition BJP yesterday demanded clarification over the allegations.

"There are new scandals in the UPA government everyday. A new scandal is on the verge of being exposed. The cupboard of corruption of the UPA is overflowing and more skeletons are dying to come out," BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said reacting to a media report in this regard.

Congress has refused to comment on the allegations, but Maran had a lengthy meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday night after the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.

Maran has also slapped a legal notice on Tehelka weekly for carrying a story on the issue which he said was "totally false, baseless and defamatory".