Smaller parties hold Dravidian majors to ransom

Both the DMK and the AIADMK have been receiving requests unreasonable even by their own standards from the existing and to be allies to face the elections in their company. 

Vanniyar-backed PMK, which has been touting itself as an alternative to the two Dravidian parties till recently, has put a long wish list on the table for the ruling and opposition parties to fulfill. The PMK has pushed up its demand from four to six Lok Sabha seats.

Worse, the party has added a Rajya Sabha berth, which was stoutly denied by both Dravidian parties till last week, to the list of demands. Even before the DMK and the AIADMK recovered from the shock, the PMK has now scaled up its demand, especially ‘other’ considerations that both the DMK and the ruling AIADMK find too hard to fulfil.

Even a relatively weak DMDK, whose leader Vijayakant had returned after treatment from the US only on Saturday, has managed to strike a good deal with a generous AIADMK for the Parliamentary elections.

In the same vein, the DMK has been receiving pressure from the CPI to ensure a fair allocation on a par with fellow comrades CPM. CPI state secretary R Mutharasan has publicly stated that they would not compromise their self-respect in seat sharing talks, apparently, suggesting that they would insist on being allotted two seats, as has the DMK promised to the CPM.

As if the problems were not enough, the DMK has been facing pressure the VCK over getting the PMK on board. VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan has not received any comforting word from the DMK despite him threatening not to be a part of an alliance comprising the PMK.

VCK’s chances of remaining in the DMK alliance have slimmed after the DMK has succeeded in persuading Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi general secretary ER Eswaran to join the alliance. If sources were to be believed, the DMK might have to trim down the allocation to CPM by one seat to accommodate the PMK.