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EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, JUNE 4: Picking up the alliance threads from where ousted Congress strongman Sharad Pawar left quite abruptly, senior Congress leaders Manmohan Singh and AK Antony held one-and-half-hour discussions with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary J Jayalalitha at her Poes Garden residence yesterday on electoral adjustments in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress leaders, after nearly eight-hour wait in their hotel suite, managed a tete-e-tete with Jayalalitha at 6 pm and claimed that the Congress was ``working towards'' firming up an alliance with the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.
Talking to the media after the talks, former Finance Minister Manmohan Singh said that the talks were ``cordial'' and ``preliminary''. Stating that they would report back the details of the discussions to party president Sonia Gandhi, Singh said that second round of talks would be held ``within this month''.
``We had a cordial discussion. We have agreed to continue to our discussions..'' he said to apointed query on whether seat adjustments figured during the discussions. Asked if Jayalalitha apprised him of her meeting with CPM Leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet, Singh admitted that they discussed the ``permutations and combinations'' and the possibilities of alliances. However, he would not elaborate further.
On whether the possibility of including Tamil Maanila Congress in the emerging Congress-AIADMK Front in the state was discussed, Manmohan categorically said that TMC did not figure in the parleys.
Did Jayalalitha inspire Sharad Pawar's revolt? ``I don't want to comment''.
He also declined to comment on whether Jayalalitha had expressed concern over Pawar's rebellion.
Asked whether the talks were a flop, Singh shot back: ``that is your perception.''
TN Congress Committee sources here do not rule out the possibility of the Congress leaders holding another round of talks with Jayalalitha again.
Last month, Sharad Pawar came to Chennai as a Congress emissary and initiated alliance talks withJayalalitha. However, a week later, he raised a banner of revolt against Congress leadership over the question of Sonia Gandhi's suitability to take on the Prime Minister's mantle and consequently the brakes were slammed on the alliance talks.
However, with the Congress now recovering from the `Sharad shock', the party leadership has sent Manmohan Singh and Antony to resume the alliance parleys. An AIADMK press release here said that the two leaders held elaborate talks on forging electoral ties with the AIADMK.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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