In a move that could set to rest all speculations about the alliance in Tamil Nadu, the All-India Congress Committee on Monday announced that the DMK-Congress combine would fight the forthcoming Assembly polls in the state together. It also sounded a warning to those who are speaking out of turn on the party’s alliance with the
DMK. This was stated by the Union health minister and party incharge for Tamil Nadu, Mr Ghulamnabi Azad, during an interaction with the media. With this sudden announcement, the battlelines for the impending polls have been drawn.
“We are in alliance with the DMK both at the national level and state level,” said Mr Azad. Of late there have been too many assumptions about what the Congress would do in the run-up to the 2011 Assembly polls. There were rumours that the Congress was seriously toying with the idea of joining hands with the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(AIADMK). The AIADMK chief Jayalalitha too has been indirectly wooing the Congress to join her as an alliance partner. There was rumours that the Congress might opt to lead a third front as an alternative to the two dravidian parties. This idea was mooted by a few smaller parties and also by a section of second-rung Congress leaders from the state. In fact, a lot many second-rung leaders were desperately trying to work out an arrangement for a Congress-led third front. But all those efforts have come to a naught now.
The AICC has also issued a gag order against those opposed to the alliance. Mr Azad, said, “I would like to warn all those people for making statements against the alliance that in future, any statement by any leader against the alliance will not be tolerated...”