Unwilling to create rifts in the coalition, Karunanidhi had suggested that if disinvestment was inevitable, the 10 per cent NLC stakes could be sold to the workers. But with the workers’ unions, including the DMK-affiliated LPF, stridently opposing the proposal, the DMK chief quickly backtracked, joining the chorus for dropping the disinvestment move in toto.

If the NLC mess up took some of that sheen off the much flaunted Congress-DMK bonhomie, then the ugly AIIMS controversy exposed a few chinks too. The party grapevine had it that Anbumani had been inspired to fight the anti-reservationists by none other than his own father for whom the reservation issue is a pet theme.

Dr S Ramadoss, the PMK founder, had risen to prominence on the vanguard of reservations for the Vanniyar community which hails him as their leader. It was during M G Ramachandran’s tenure as CM that Ramadoss had managed to get the community the MBC (Most Backward Caste) status. The community’s gratitude helped his Vanniyar Sangam evolve into a political party. Anbumani apparently had been pushing his party’s agenda in New Delhi and AIIMS director Dr P Venugopal just happened to come in his way. Hence the need to axe him. With Karunanidhi providing the political backing, Anbumani got away with his decision, the most controversial yet.

But there are more blots from Tamil Nadu that have caused acute embarrassment to the UPA government. One of the most favourite themes of Jayalalithaa’s attack has been that Karunanidhi had openly promoted his family members, and ensured that Murasoli Maran and later his son, 39-year-old Dayanidhi Maran, were accommodated in the Union Cabinet. This time not only did he get junior Maran a berth but also the Communication portfolio, vital for his family flagship, the Sun TV Group.

... contd.