Congress,DMK keep eye out,wait for the other to blink

Congress sources said any talks would take place only on Monday,when DMK ministers come to New Delhi to submit their resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“No,” said DMK president and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi tersely when reporters asked him today whether he had been approached by the Congress. He also hinted that there was more to the rift than the differences over the number of seats each side would contest.

A little while earlier,his elder son M K Alagiri,who is expected to resign from the Union Cabinet along with five others on Monday,said he did not expect the Congress to come back for a patch-up. He also asserted that the split wouldn’t affect the prospects of the DMK in the coming Assembly election.

While the DMK itself remained tight-lipped,careful not to escalate the confrontation beyond the point of no return,smaller allies like the PMK and VCK too asserted that they didn’t need the Congress.

VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan extended an unsolicited invitation to the Left to join the alliance,making use of the silence from the principal opposition party AIADMK over the last two days. Jayalalithaa is yet to conclude her discussions with the Left and Vaiko’s MDMK,organisations that are inversely allied to the Congress.

The CPM has convened an emergency meeting of its executive committee on Monday,and the State Committee meeting two days later,leading to speculation that there could be a realignment of forces if the Congress strikes a deal with AIADMK,the regional party that had on November 11 offered unconditional support to the Union government if the DMK pulled out over action against scam-tainted former Union minister A Raja.

“This DMK-led coalition will return to power even if the Congress is not on board,” said PMK president G K Mani,emerging from seat-sharing talks.

However,as far as the Congress goes,it’s the DMK that has more to lose if the alliance breaks. While Congress strategists do not consider the DMK’s promise of issue-based support — once it pulls out of the UPA government — as a long-term option,they do not see any threat to the government as many other parties,including the Samajwadi Party and BSP,are ready to extend support.

So while it could survive in power at the Centre,the Congress believes the DMK faces the prospects of being ousted both at the Centre and in the state — which is not a very soothing thought given the spate of allegations staring at DMK leaders.

Congress leaders also denied that the current stalemate between the two parties has anything to do with CBI investigations that threatened to go beyond A Raja to knock on the doors of Karunanidhi family. Sources maintained that the Congress took a tough stand because of the DMK’s “brinkmanship”.

“The AIADMK was sending us feelers. Vijayakant was ready to come with us but he said that all his life he had opposed Karunanidhi and could not come with us if we remained with him. But we chose to remain with the

DMK. Then the DMK,without so much as even informing us,decides to give 31 seats to the PMK. And now they want us to take whatever they give us!” a senior Congress leader told The Indian Express.

While Congress sources ruled out the possibility of any ties with the AIADMK,they didn’t discount the possibility of going it alone. “Why not? We have gone alone in the past. It will also strengthen the party,” said a source,adding that the party still considered an alliance with the DMK Option No 1,but if the latter refrained from public posturing and brinkmanship.

While expecting the DMK to blink,the Congress is also not inclined to push the matter too far given the “uncertain and undependable” nature of support parties like the SP or the BSP could provide,especially in the context of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections next year.

Asked if the Congress would risk the alliance to stick to its demand for 63 seats as also the constituencies of its choice,a senior leader said: “There is nothing final in politics. Let’s wait till Monday.”

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