Tamil Nadu Congress men prefer AIADMK for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls

[1]

Chennai: The ruling AIADMK appears to be the preferred choice of many TN Congressmen for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Several former MPs and legislators, whose views the state party in-charge Mukul Wasnik elicited Sunday last on many issues, are learnt to have proposed an electoral tie up with AIADMK. The khadar veshtis here told the AICC general secretary that they stand a better chance of winning maximum MP seats only if the party goes with the ruling party in Tamil Nadu.
A former MLA from Vasan camp who took part in the meeting told DC that well over 60 per cent of the participants had backed the AIADMK when Vasnik sought their views on 2014 polls.
“Of course, we can win some seats in the polls if we go with a relatively unp­o­pular DMK, but Con­g­ress will get maximum seats if it’s in the AIA­DMK fold,” the MLA quoted a senior ex-MP as saying. However, it did not take long for the ambitious ex-MP to come to terms with reality and concede that the AIADMK would be averse to have Congress in its fold, especially when the national party’s image had hit a nadir after it was mired by scandals aplenty. Strangely, a few Congressmen suggested the idea of the national party fancying its cha­nces again with the DMK.
Wasnik is understood to have a paid close attention to the functionaries’ advice of Congress being the dominant partner if it were to be a constituent of the third front in TN, hopefully, with actor-politician Vijayakanth in the fold.
“We suggested that Congress should field maximum candidates in a third front comprising DMDK,” a Chidambaram loyalist said admitting that most participating Congressmen had seized the opportunity to blame AICC for ignoring their advice and allying with DMK in 2011 Assembly polls albeit the Dravidian major riding on a wave of unpopularity.
But the AICC envoy showed little interest in the vital demand put forth in one voice by an otherwise squabbling TNCC — the immediate appointment of state and district functionaries, an exercise long overdue.