Sources in the Congress high command pointed out that their party cannot afford to rock the alliance boat at this juncture when there are just 17 days left for the nomination process to start for the elections in Tamil Nadu scheduled for April 13.
As DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi announced his decision to withdraw his ministers from the UPA government and offer only issue based support to it, a stunned Congress declined to react with its spokesman Abhishek Singhvi merely saying that the talks were still on. Party leaders say differences could be resolved.
Congress sources said the DMK veteran has kept the window open for talks by saying that the regional party will offer issue-based support. The Congress party is likely to explore its option on Sunday after the return of its interlocutor Ghulam Nabi Azad’s return from Chennai on Saturday night following the breakdown of talks between him and Karunanidhi. The DMK ministers have not sent their resignations to the prime minister as they have been submitted to Karunanidhi.
They pointed out that the neither the DMK nor the Congress is in a position to go it alone at this later hour especially when the rival AIADMK has sewn up a formidable alliance with film star Vijayakanth, Left parties and smaller outfits. The DMK has already tied up with PMK.
Larger plan
The sources say the Congress, if the talks continue, could agree for 60 seats and not insist on 63 which the DMK is not willing to give [234 is the total strength of the Assembly]. However, Congress leaders say it was not a question of mere three seats but larger plans of the DMK which has forced it to take the extreme stand.
The DMK is aware that there can be CBI raids on Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi’s house any time. DMK perhaps wants to say that it was time that the Congress puts a brake on this. But then, the CBI probe is being monitored by the Supreme Court and the government can do little in this. What will happen if the alliance really breaks?
As for elections, the DMK and Congress may bite the dust while at the Centre, UPA would be reduced to a minority but can continue to rule with the support of Samajwadi Party [22 MPs] and BSP [21 MPs]. DMK has 18 MPs and withdrawal of its support means that the UPA would have a strength of 256 while 272 is required for simple majority. The DMK has six ministers in the UPA.
The Congress is also aware that breakdown of talks would embolden Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee to up her stakes in the talks for West Bengal Assembly polls.
Party experiment
There is a section in the Congress which would be happy with the development in Chennai. This camp is of the opinion that the Congress should go it alone and strengthen its base in Tamil Nadu and party scion Rahul Gandhi holds the same view. However, this experiment, which succeeded in Uttar Pradesh, failed in Bihar.