After staying away from Tamil Nadu because of his arrest in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam case, former telecom minister A. Raja visited his home state on Friday after a gap of nearly 16 months.

The DMK MP landed at Chennai airport in the evening. Thousands of his supporters had gathered outside the airport to receive their leader. The DMK supporters accorded him a grand welcome as they lifted him on their shoulders as soon as he walked out of the airport.

Raja returned to the city days after his release from Tihar Central Jail. He had been barred from entering the state without court’s permission, which was one of the conditions for his bail. A special court of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had on Wednesday granted him permission to visit Tamil Nadu. Raja was arrested in February 2011 and was released on bail last month.

He was likely to visit DMK chief M. Karunanidhi first. Later, he would also visit his constituency.