Cautious Congress strengthens ties with small parties

State Congress president Su Thirunavukkarasar, who had a two-hour meeting with his daughter’s father-in-law Isakki Subbiah, a supporter of TTV Dhinkaran, was also learnt to have contributed a bit in fixing the meeting.

Incidentally, the meeting happened barely a few days after Rahul Gandhi hosted VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan, second in a couple of months, ostensibly, to draw the attention of a fence-sitting DMK, which has been cold shouldering the national party. Deputation of Kanimozhi for Sonia’s dinner party, abstention from HD Kumarasamy’s swearing in ceremony and soft criticism of the BJP have been irritants to the Congress high command, which, of late has been prodded by a few top rung Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu to weigh alternate political options like partnering with AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran in the event of DMK posturing tough during election parleys.

“We are already hearing from Anna Arivalayam that the DMK would not part with more than 20 Assembly and five MP seats to us. The DMK is showing the same belligerence to the VCK. We are wooing disgruntled smaller players like VCK and new entrants like Kamal so that the DMK would feel the pinch and make a few compromises to accommodate us. Even if an alliance with the DMK does not work out, we will have options,” reasoned a state Congress leader requesting anonymity not oblivious to the fact that the DMK, like a few other regional players across the country, has been expecting the Congress to make compromises and allow them to be the dominant partner.

It has been reliably learnt that Congress president Rahul Gandhi would have visited the city to release the Tamil version of former union minister P Chidambaram’s book, but for the advice of the latter, who had warned him against the same citing the hostile political climate. “If he had indeed visited, Rahul would have met Karunanidhi and Stalin. But the political equation with the DMK was not conducive. So, Chidambaram advised against it,” revealed the Congress senior requesting anonymity.