Thursday, April 27 2006 14:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa today (Apr 27, 2006) sought removal of Communication Minister Dayanidhi Maran from the Union Cabinet in the wake of a media report that he had 'threatened' a top industrialist to give Sun TV, owned by his brother, stakes in a DTH venture.

In a statement here, the Chief Minister said the media report that Maran was trying to arm twist one of the upright and ethical industrial groups in India, has ripped the mask off one of the most sinister, unethical, diabolic bids in industrial empire building ever known.

"Maran, by misusing his office and his inordinate influence over the patchwork coalition government at the Centre has made a brazen bid to blackmail his way in acquiring a controlling stake in the DTH business," she charged, adding he had shown himself to be unfit to hold the post of a Union Minister and was a disgrace to the entire nation.

Alleging that Maran had threatened the industrialist with dire consequences to his telecom business unless he agreed to surrender 33 per cent share of the DTH project to SUN TV, she said ,"This is one of the most outrageous, extortionist misuses of executive power for personal ends that modern India has ever seen. This is bereft of all norms, decency and ethics".

"The Prime Minister should salvage the dignity of nation and drop Maran from the cabinet," she said.