No donations received from Raja, claims Tamil Maiyam founder Jagat Gasper

Ruling out receiving any donation from former telecom minister A Raja, Tamil Maiyam founder Jagat Gasper today claimed his NGO had no links with the second generation mobile telephony spectrum scam and also gave a clean chit to chief minister M Karunanidhi's MP daughter Kanimozhi, saying she was only a trustee of his organisation.

"She is just a trustee of Tamil Maiyam... We value her association...", Gasper told reporters here in Chennai about Kanimozhi.

CBI yesterday raided Tamil Maiyam as part of its probe into the scam.

Gasper, who is a priest, said he would cooperate with CBI, if it interrogated him.

Denying any association of Tamil Maiyam with the 2G mobile spectrum scam, he said, "Our books are clean and credible. We are not afraid. Tamil Maiyam has no links with 2G mobile spectrum scam.

"Nothing will stop our association with political leaders... Tomorrow if AIADMK comes to power, we will associate with them."

Gasper denied charges that DMK leaders were donating huge funds to his NGO. "We are unfairly targeted just because we are joined by political personalities..."

Strongly denying that funds were routed through his NGO, he said anybody can come and investigate the accounts and the books. "We are still functioning this NGO in a rented place. We pay Rs40,000 as rent per month," he said.

"We are wrongly targetted."

Reading out a statement, he said CBI conducted a search in the office of Tami Maiyam with the scope, as mentioned in the warrant, being to see whether "alleged" scam funds found their way also into the NGO.

"We wish to state categorically that neither Tamil Maiyam nor its managing trustee (Jagath Gasper Raj) is in any way connected with the 2G spectrum issue or the alleged scam funds associated with it."

Tamil Maiyam cooperated with the CBI search, he said, adding, the NGO has great regards and respect for the professionalism CBI as a national agency, he said. "We assure CBI of all cooperation until the process of investigation concludes," he said.

"We very much value the association of Kanimozhi as a trustee who has been greatly instrumental in reviving the folk art tradition of Tamil Nadu through Chennai Sangamam," he said, adding, there was no single source of funds, which is not publicly divulged.

The NGO said it condemned and rejected "insinuation" by "some media persons" that the 2G mobile spectrum scam money possily went also to LTTE.

He also denied that he was a LTTE supporter. "I want a separate Tamil Eelam for the welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils, but I never supported the LTTE."