NEW DELHI, NOV 12: The Jain Commission revelations have put the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) in an awkward spot with the party unable to defend the DMK or attack it for its role in Rajiv Gandhi's assassination.

The TMC has a difficult choice before it; either target the Dravida Munnetra Kazagam (DMK) and face the risk of losing its electoral ally or defend the DMK and stand accused of playing unprincipled politics.

Understandably, TMC bigwigs have kept mum on the latest issue threatening to rock the United Front Government. Party chief Moopanar's statement that his party will wait till the report is tabled in Parliament to take a stand is at best an attempt to buy some time.

Aware that the issue could lead to tension between the DMK and the TMC, the United Front leaders are stressing the need for unity among the coalition constituents. UF convenor N Chandrababu Naidu met both DMK chief M Karunanidhi and TMC supremo G K Moopanar today in Chennai to discuss the implications of the issue.

The TMC's executive committee is to meet on Sunday, when the report is expected to dominate the discussions. But it is unlikely that the party will commit itself officially to anything until the report is actually tabled.Moopanar and many other leaders in the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) like Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram were emotionally attached to Rajiv Gandhi. And as long as they were in the Congress, they were in the forefront of the campaign to get the Jain Commission to speed up its work.

In fact, as Congressmen these leaders had regularly accused the DMK of being responsible for the assassination. They stopped the attacks on the DMK only when they were forced to part ways with the Congress to float the TMC.

Though Moopanar might have severed his links with the Congress, his loyalty to the Gandhi family is still very strong. He is also in regular touch with Sonia Gandhi.

Now that an influential section in the Congress loyal to Sonia Gandhi is turning the heat on the United Front saying it would brook no delay in the tabling of the Jain Commission report in Parliament, the TMC will be hardpressed to take a stand.

The TMC's problem of taking a position either way has been further compounded by reports that the Jain Commission had also indicted Chidambaram for his role in the events leading to the assassination.

The party is conscious of the fact that taking any step which could harm its ties with the DMK would be detrimental to its own interest. If the alliance breaks up, it might yield space to the AIADMK-led Opposition front in Tamil Nadu. Of immediate concern to both the parties would be the coming by-elections to three Assembly seats.

However, there is one view in the TMC that the Rajiv assassination issue could serve as a justifiable alibi for the party to snap its ties with the DMK.

There is a new-found bonhomie, but there are several differences between the two parties at the lower levels, if not at the level of the top rungs of the leadership.

Meanwhile, Left leaders continued to assert that there was no threat to the United Front government. CPI (M) general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet said his party will formulate its stand after the report is presented in Parliament.

Appreciating the stand taken by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on the issue, he said: ``We go by the CWC decision.'' Agriculture Minister and CPI leader Chaturanan Mishra also echoed Surjeet's view.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.