Replying to the charges, Arcot N Veerasamy, Minister for Electricity and Rural Industries, said there was no move to intimidate Vaikundarajan “who incidentally was only a minor shareholder” of Jaya TV, a public limited company run by Maries Dotcom Pvt. Ltd. It had an authorised share capital of Rs 20.25 crore with a paid up capital of Rs 19.52 crore. The shares held by Vaikundarajan were not through direct equity but through another company, Veerasamy added.

Veerasamy said that the issue should not be given “a political colour” just because Vaikundarajan happened to be a Jaya TV shareholder. Moreover, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi himself had informed that the government was willing to institute a commission of enquiry to probe activities of any company that violated rules.