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Raja is in as Maran is out

NT Bureau
Chennai, May 15:

        After the exist of Dayanidhi Maran from the Union Cabinet, speculation of a minor reshuffle in the Cabinet is expected and Environment Minister A Raja's name is doing the rounds for the post of Union IT and Communications Minister.
        It is learnt that Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has recommended the name of Raja for the post and Rajya Sabha member KPK Kumaran is also likely to be inducted in the Union Cabinet.

        Senior DMK leader and State Electricity Minister Arcot N Veerasamy yesterday flew to the capital as a special emissary of Chief Minister and met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and is understood to have discussed the issue.

        During his brief trip, Veerasamy met Singh in the Planning Commission where a full meeting was on and handed over two letters from Karunanidhi. From there he rushed to Sonia Gandhi's residence to hand over to her two letters from the DMK supremo before returning to Chennai.

        He refused to disclose the contents of the letters or the discussions he had with them.
A Raja
        After reading the letters, the Prime Minister told him to convey to the Chief Minister that 'needful' would be done on the letters.

        Asked whether there could be inductions from DMK into the Union Cabinet, he said 'there could be changes very soon'.

        To a question whether a panel of three names have been given to the Prime Minister for induction, he said there was no such proposal.

        However DMK sources said if Raja gets the IT Ministry, S S Palanimanikam, currently MoS for Finance would take over the Environment Ministry and his portfolio is likely to be given to Kumaran.

        Later in the day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accepted the resignation of Maran and forwarded it to President A P J Abdul Kalam for acceptance, a day after he was forced by the DMK to quit Cabinet.

        'Prime Minister accepts Dayanidhi Maran's resignation. It has been forwarded to the President,' Prime Minister's Media Advisor Sanjaya Baru said.

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