May 2006

The opposition in Tamil Nadu led by AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, alleges that Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran had arm-twisted Tatas chairman Ratan Tata to force him to part with shares of his DTH unit for the Sun TV group managed by his brother, Kalanidhi Maran. Maran dismisses the charge and gets Tata to meet him for discussions on various projects for Tamil Nadu

July 2006
Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss sacks AIIMS director Dr P Venugopal, kicking off a major controversy. The action is seen as part of his own party’s (PMK) reservation agenda

July 2006
Karunanidhi arm-twists Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to drop NLC disinvestment plans, threatening to pull out of the government