Kanimozhi may stay out of government

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi is unlikely to join the government at the Centre, apparently miffed at not not getting a Cabinet rank or at least a Minister of State with independent charge.

"We do not think that she will be joining the ministry," sources close to her told PTI.

The poetess-daughter of the DMK chief was keen on getting a Cabinet berth but the party is understood to have decided that M K Azhagiri, A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran would be its nominees in the Cabinet accepting the Congress offer.

Azhagiri has already reached Delhi.

After discussions within the party and in the family, the DMK is believed to have decided yesterday that Azhagiri may take Fertilisers portfolio, Raja, IT, and Maran Textiles.

Maran was the IT and Communications minister in the earlier government before he was dropped due to differences with DMK leadership about two years ago.

The party is getting four other berths all at the level of Ministers of State rank. Earlier, there were reports that Kanimozhi could be MoS with independent charge, a plea that has reportedly not been conceded by the Congress.

Party sources said that Karunanidhi may make a formal announcement later in the day about his party's participation in the Union Ministry, four days after it announced that it would support the government from outside and not join it because the Congress' formula on ministerial berths to it was not acceptable.

Later, Maran, his family members and a few other DMK MPs, including D Napolean and Jeyadurai, left for Delhi. The former Union IT Minister declined to comment on reports of him being offered a Cabinet berth.

He told media persons at the airport that the formal announcement would be made by the party by Tuesday.