Despite a strong clamour by several state leaders for a change of alliance partner in Tamil Nadu, sources say the central leadership of the Congress is all set to be guided only by the comfort level of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-2. Besieged as it is on several fronts, the party can ill-afford at this juncture to take a daring step.
The party is aware that the DMK government led by Mr M. Karunanidhi in the state is highly unpopular and that the DMK is desperately in need of the Congress to cling on to power. But the misfortune is that the Congress is clearly not in a position to take advantage of it.
The party, which began its second innings leading UPA-2 on a high note, now looks increasingly cornered on many fronts. A series of scams — Adarsh, CWG and 2G — that rocked the government and led to the resignation of two Congressmen and a minister belonging to an alliance partner, showed the party in bad light. It denied the government any credit for the high-profile visits of Mr Barack Obama, Mr Nicolas Sarkozy, Mr James Cameron, Mr Wen Jiabo and Mr Dmitry Medvedev.
Added to that is the Parliament impasse over the constitution of a joint parliamentary probe (JPC) into the 2G scam, which in all likelihood would rock the Budget Session of Parliament as well. The Telangana controversy, too, has turned out to be a headache for the government. Many Congress MPs and MLAs have threatened to resign if the Telangana bill is not introduced in the Budget Session. Apart from the impact that it would have on the Centre, the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh will be reduced to a minority. To cap it all, former Congress MP Jagan Mohan Reddy will do anything to inconvenience the Congress. When a push comes to a shove, he will most certainly wean away a few legislators from the Congress.
Price rise is another issue that has made UPA-2 unpopular and has provided the Opposition much needed ammunition. Central ministers engaged in spats publicly also contributed to a negative impression about the government. The Maoist problem, coupled with the politicisation of it in West Bengal, has become a thorn in the flesh for UPA-2.
Under these circumstances, according to sources, the party does not want to open another front by daring to break the current alliance with the DMK and opt either to go along with the AIADMK of Ms Jayalalithaa or lead a third front.
The experience of the last Bihar polls is still fresh in the mind of the high command.