DMK had not lobbied for telecom portfolio: Karunanidhi

With the DMK coming under flak for the 2G spectrum scam, Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi today said his party had not been insistent on the telecom portfolio for A Raja during UPA government formation in 2009.

According to Karunanidhi, the DMK had not recommended that the telecom portfolio should go to Raja at the time of government formation in 2009.

Since Raja was telecom minister when in the UPA government in 2007 and the same portfolio was allocated to him in 2009, he said in the party mouthpiece, 'Murasoli', in Chennai.

Denying reports that Raja was given the telecom portfolio following telephonic conversation between 'two persons", he said certain media outlets had blown up the matter which was "baseless."

Karunanidhi said certain sections of the media were writing 'wrongly' about the 2G issue, instead of reporting what the CAG had commented.

Speaking to reporters in Chennai today, Karunanidhi said the scam had not brought any disrepute to the party.

Responding to a query on CBI summoning Raja for questioning, the DMK chief said it was a "usual practice and nothing extraordinary."

When asked whether the scam had distanced the Congress from DMK, a key UPA ally, Karunanidhi said, "Nobody can cut the relationship between both the parties."

"Our self-respect movement has grown and overcome all such things in the past," he added.