| Cong
likely to invite TMC for alliance
Sanjiv Sinha
New Delhi,
May 10: As part of its gameplan to consolidate political forces
opposed to the BJP, the Congress is likely to once again renew its
invitation to the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) to merge with it
after the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu. And indications are that
this time, TMC chief G.K. Moopanar may agree to his erstwhile party’s
long-standing offer.
It is no secret in Congress circles that party chief Sonia Gandhi
shares an excellent rapport with Moopanar and that this was one
of the key factors in bringing the TMC closer to the Congress after
she became the party president in 1998.
In fact, Sonia had reportedly invited Moopanar to rejoin his parent
party soon after she became party chief and the latter walked out
of his alliance with the DMK. But the veteran leader chose to postpone
the offer, keeping polls in mind.
Sources say that a Congress-TMC merger is a very real possibility
after the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and this is not necessarily
incumbent on the outcome of the polls in the state where both parties
are in an electoral alliance with the AIADMK.
In fact, the exit of former Union minister P. Chidambaram from the
TMC last month over its alliance
with the AIADMK may have paved the way for the quick reunion between
the Congress and the TMC.
A post poll merger, say sources, suits both the Congress and the
TMC since that would make the combination decidedly more formidable
since neither of the two parties will be part of the government
if the AIADMK-led Front comes to power in Tamil Nadu.
In fact, there was serious talk of a merger in the run up to the
polls last year but it was decided to postpone discussions on the
issue till after the Assembly elections as that would enable both
parties to secure a better bargain from AIADMK chief Jayalalitha
on the number of seats.
The TMC contested 33 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu while the Congress
fought in 15. If a merger does take place, Moopanar is likely to
be accommodated in a senior position in the party.
The importance of Moopanar in Sonia’s scheme of things was
apparent from the fact that the veteran leader not only negotiated
with Jayalalitha for his party but also for the Congress in the
seat-sharing talks last month.
Moopanar stuck with the Congress despite efforts by Jayalalitha
to persuade him to dump his parent party and strike a better bargain.
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