Ramamurthy said PMK leader S Ramadoss, MDMK general secretary Vaiko and he had pleaded with Jayalalitha at the crucial August 13 meeting of the AIADMK front. ``We had assured her that we would stand by her decision, whatever it may be, after August 16,'' he recalled. But later, Ramdoss declared his party's support to the BJP would continue. Ramamurthy had said people would not forgive them if support to the BJP was withdrawn.

``We had hoped that good sense would prevail and she would not take precipitate action,'' he added.

Recounting the behind-the-scenes drama that unfoldedat Poes Garden in August, Reacting to her recent announcement disbanding the five-party alliance in the State, Ramamurthy said the alliance was `over' since she wished so. ``The reality is that she has dismantled the alliance,'' he said, adding, ``Just as she has the right to say that the alliance is over, we too have the right to say the same,'' he said. However, he added hastily, ``We are parting as friends and as far as I am concerned our friendly posture towards the AIADMK will continue.''

Coming down heavily on Jayalalitha, Ramamurthy observed, ``It was not good political strategy to disassociate from the ruling coalition at a time when the country was facing a period of instability.''

Her allegation that the PMK, MDMK and the TRC were responsible for the break in the AIADMK front did not hold good, he said, since they had only stated that their support to the ruling BJP-led coalition would continue. ``Is that a crime? She is still supporting the BJP. How different is her stand from ours?''

Askedif there was any attempt to regroup the alliance here, he said he had not held talks with Ramadoss or Vaiko in this regard. ``There is no need for it now. When there is a necessity we will see.''

As for Jayalalitha's claim that he had got his Cabinet berth at her insistence, and the Prime Minister had chosen to make him a Minister of State, he quipped, ``As a leader of the AIADMK front we decided that only she would negotiate. It is not as if Ramadoss, Vaiko or I do not know Vajpayee, Advani or Jaswant Singh. But we had decided that we would not hold talks independently.''

He said Jayalalitha had not asked for his portfolio as reported by the media. ``If she asks the Prime Minister, I will give it (the portfolio) back to the Prime Minister.'' Asked if he would make the sacrifice in order to save the front, he said, ``I would do it in the interest of ensuring stability at the Centre.''

Refusing to reveal what transpired between Jayalalitha and Prime Minister Vajpayee over the berth allocation, he added,``Vajpayee never refused anything and it was he who conferred the portfolio on me.''

When reporters pointed out that she had taken a similar `unilateral' decision even when she snapped ties with the Congress just before the last Lok Sabha elections, Ramamurthy remarked, ``It is a thodar vyathi (a chronic disease).''

There were rumours that Congress leader Mani Shankar Iyer had met Jayalalitha when she was in Hyderabad, he said. ``There is no doubt that Congress is the only party which is capable of forming an alternative. The ball is in their court. Let us wait and see.'' Asked if he was open to `another alliance' with the AIADMK, he said, ``We are always open.''

Asked if he thought Jayalalitha would withdrew her support to the BJP-led Government, he said, ``I am not her conscience keeper.'' On Jayalalitha's statement that only she could topple the Government, he remarked, ``If you have a knife and do not use it, then it is useless.''

Jaya should not have taken part in bandh:Ramamurthy

Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress president and Union Petroleum Minister Vazhapadi Ramamurthy today criticised AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha for supporting the Opposition-sponsored strike on December 11 to protest the policies of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition at the Centre.``She (Jayalalitha) should either have disassociated herself from the Front or from the bandh,'' he said, at a media conference in Chennai today.The Opposition claim that the present Government's policies were responsible for the economic and industrial recession was `hypocritical' and a constituent of the ruling coalition could not accept this and remain in the Government, he added.