Alliances are always fraught with potential game of one-upmanship. Even in a ruling combine, not only the cadres but also the leaders get frustrated beyond a point. But it gets expressed only when elections are round the corner. It becomes more vocal, if the “affected” party is in demand. This precisely is the case in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-Congress alliance.
Deeply wounded by the “big-brother” attitude of the DMK, many second-rung Congress leaders from Tamil Nadu are making a beeline to Delhi apprise the high command of the supposed shoddy treatment meted out to the party cadres. Realising that Mr Rahul Gandhi is the one who can really effect a change in the direction of the party’s fortunes — the way he turned around the party’s destiny in Uttar Pradesh, they all have started calling on him in droves to convince him of the need to break-free of the DMK in the state.
The latest to join the list of those who have called on Rahul Gandhi is S.S. Manian, who happens to be the vice-president of the Tamil Nadu’s Other Backward Class (OBC) wing of the Congress. He led a delegation of seven members to the capital with the same objective — that of breaking ties with the DMK. They had earlier sent an email to Mr Gandhi seeking an appointment to discuss the party’s prospects in the forthcoming Assembly polls. And when they met him, they had a litany of complaints against the DMK and sought his intervention in ensuring the Congress got its due “respects” from its alliance partner. They also alleged that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was using the Congress to further its own prospects. Citing an example, they said the centrally financed schemes were sought to be projected by the DMK as their own, much to the detriment of the Congress. This they contended has led to a lot of heartburn among the rank and file of the party and demanded that the Congress forge an alliance in which mutual respect and recognition remains the foundation of the Union.
According to Mr Manian, Mr Gandhi promised to look into the demands, especially the alliance issue. Not only insignificant leaders but also senior ones like former Union minister E.V.K.S. Elangovan have started voicing concern about the attitude of the DMK.