AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

NT Bureau
New Delhi, May 15:

        The exit of Dayanidhi Maran from the Union Cabinet has necessitated a musical chairs of sorts among the DMK Ministers at the Centre. It is now more than clear that the present Union Environment Minister A Raja will take over the IT and Communications Ministry. Further, sources are also suggesting that either S Raghupathy or S S Palani Manickam, already Ministers, may get elevated to Cabinet rank. And the biggest talk is centred around which new face will get into the Ministry to fill the DMK's quota. As of now the favourites are Radhika Selvi and K P K Kumaran.

        The general feeling, as of now is, Raghupathy, Minister of State for Home, may be elevated as a Cabinet Minister and take Raja's place. Interestingly, the senior most among the DMK Ministers T R Baalu does not get anything new or different. He has to stay content with what he has.

        The biggest surprise packet could be Radhika Selvi, the wife of Venkatesa Panniar who was killed in an encounter a few years back in Chennai. Radhika, if sources are to believed, may get a look-in. She may be blooded as she is a well-known face among the Nadars, which community actor Sarath Kumar is planning to tap through his new party.

        The DMK has a total of seven representatives in the present council of Ministers.

        Meanwhile, the Congress seems a little bit upset with the negative press that it has been receiving over the Ministerial shake-up owing to the problems in the DMK. The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has come in for a lot of flak as he has been reduced to being a mute spectator even while the Ministry, which he technically heads, is being chopped and changed around. He is totally at the mercy of the allies. This is shameful, said one BJP leader in New Delhi.

        Karunanidhi sent his emissary, Arcot Veeraswamy, to hand over two sealed envelopes each to Manmohan Singh and Sonia. After meeting Manmohan, Veeraswamy said: 'He told me that he would implement whatever was sought by Karunanidhi in the letters.' This, political observers point out, shows how helpless the Prime Minister is.

        Meanwhile, speculation in Chennai is rife over why Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had acted in such a hard manner vis-a-vis the Marans. Political grapevine has it that Karunanidhi may have been forced to wield the whip by the women in his family, chiefly his wife Dayalu Ammal. Sources point out that even Rajathi Ammal was also not keen on the Marans staying in the bandwagon. The two women seem to have closed ranks and may have been instrumental in Karunanidhi taking the decision that he eventually did.