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Muthiah will resign only on Jayalalitha's say-so

Union Surface Transport Minister Sedapatti R Muthiah today said he would not step down in the wake of a special judge framing charges against him in a corruption case.

He was talking to newsmen after the special judge trying corruption cases against ministers in the previous All India Anna DMK regime dismissed his petition seeking discharge from the disproportionate wealth case filed against him.

Muthiah said he would explore all avenues available to prove his innocence. There were enough provisions in the law to prove that he was innocent, he added.

Asked whether he would resign if Prime Minister A B Vajpayee asked him to do so in the wake of today's developments, a confident Muthiah said, "I don't think the prime minister would ask me to resign."

"I hope he would ask us to fight it out legally as the cases had been foisted by the DMK government out of political vendetta." He would explain to the prime minister that the cases were foisted on him, he said.

However, Muthiah answered in the affirmative when asked whether he would step down if AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha so wished.

The minister claimed that taking cognisance of the offences by itself did not mean that he was guilty.

Asked about the appointment of new standing counsel for the central government and the Enforcement Directorate, Muthiah said the government had nothing to do with judicial appointments and transfers. It was for the Supreme Court to decide on such matters.

He alleged that the Sarkaria Commission, which probed the corruption charges against M Karunanidhi during his earlier tenure as chief minister, had in its report, proved 18 corruption charges. It also held that Karunanidhi had misused his position as chief minister in the early 1970s and received illegal gratification from a well known businessman in the city, Muthiah alleged.

But the Central Bureau of Investigation had not taken any action against Karunanidhi on the basis of that report, he said.

The Union minister said all the AIADMK MPs would pursue the matter again.

UNI

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