TN Cong leaders meet Sonia over DMK tieup

Dec 20, 2010 - K.S. JAYASEELAN |

New Delhi

Leaders from the Tamil Nadu unit of the Congress, who had come to participate in the 83rd plenary of the party, also had an opportunity to share their thoughts with party president Sonia Gandhi on the alliance issue in the state.
According to sources, the leaders from the state sought to persuade her into breaking from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) in the state. They also requested her to persuade Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to visit Tamil Nadu next month so as to ensure the top-brass of the DMK don’t get to share the dais with him.
As per schedule, Dr Singh is to visit Tamil Nadu on January 3 to inaugurate a science exhibition and a technological park in Chennai.
Sources revealed that those who called on Mrs Gandhi, behind the dais of the plenary, are Union home minister P. Chidambaram, former Union minister E.V.K.S. Elangovan, shipping minister G.K. Vasan, current PCC president Thangabalu, former minister Prabhu, former PCC president Krishnaswamy, national spokesperson Jayanthi Natrajan and MLAs Dr Jayakumar and Peter Alphonse.
The president of the state unit Mr Thangabalu and Mr Alphonse, who are perceived to be close to Mr Karunanidhi sought to keep a distance from the general mood of the remaining leaders. Mr Chidambaram, too, who has no love lost for Ms Jayalalithaa kept mum all through the interactions. It was the others who did the talking in favour of ending the alliance with the DMK.
According to sources, Mrs Gandhi promised to consider their request and on the Prime Minister’s visit, she agreed to take up the matter with Dr Singh.
The Congress-DMK alliance has been fraught with controversy ever since the 2G spectrum scam. The Radia-tapes and the raids of the investigative agencies have only fuelled distrust between the two parties.
And in a related development, Congress MP from West Bengal, Deepa Das Munshi and West Bengal PCC chief Manas Bhuniyan cautioned the party against tieups at the cost of self-respect.

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