By Indo-Asian News Service

[The CBI is investigating Dayanidhi Maran's role in 2G spectrum scam! Maran, the Textile Minister in the Congress-led UPA government of India had to resign after the heat of the scandal became intolerable.]

Even as the 25-month-old UPA-II government dumped Dayanidhi Maran, the second Minister from the DMK for involvement in the 2G spectrum scam, after A. Raja, the ruling coalition isn't inclined to part ways with the Dravidian party, Congress insiders said. However, the exit of Maran is another blow to the Government.

The CBI is going to question Maran soon, and fully. DMK boss and ex-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi blamed the media for Maran's exit. [Who cares about the scandal!]

Now the question is whether DMK with 18 Lok Sabha members is an asset or liability to the UPA. The UPA still feels the party is an asset. But the alliance had no option but to dump some of the tainted DMK ministers like Raja and Dayanidhi Maran.

With the UPA with only 262 Lok Sabha members in the 545-member House, the party cannot afford to lose a "valuable partner," a Congress leader said.

"Other options of bringing in the four-member Rashtriya Janata Dal [of Lalu Prasad] or the 21-member Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh Yadav into the Cabinet will have their own deficiencies. Nor is their record far better than the DMK," he added.

For the record, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari, said: "The party is in alliance with DMK since 2004. The situation remains the same. Political alliances are based on the appreciation of the ground situation."

Party circles pointed out there have been opposition allegations against several other Ministers including MS Gill, Murli Deora, Sharad Pawar and Jaipal Reddy.

"The Prime Minister or the Congress cannot act as per the list provided by the opposition. But a judicial cognizance as it happened with Maran is different," said the leader.

"The UPA cannot admit a charge that the entire DMK is corrupt." That will be walking into the opposition trap of admitting the allegation of the most corrupt government in the country."

DMK sources told IANS that there was no pressure on the party to leave the UPA.
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As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh plans a Cabinet reshuffle, likely within a week, the buzz is that former Minister and DMK MP TR Baalu is making a comeback in place of Maran.

Some new DMK nominees are also likely to join the Cabinet.
"It will be a weak DMK, which was humbled in the Assembly polls, adjusting to the demands of the Congress leadership to give a new look to the government," a Congress leader said.