Congress’ master political stroke

As DMK is habituated to exercising hard bargaining with its political allies at the time of seat sharing, so dit it this time with Congress, which itself has achieved mastery in this type of political game. In this process of hard bargainig, DMK outright rejected Congress demand of 63 seats in the next month assembly elections in the state.

As a threat to the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre, DMK decided to pullout its six ministers from the Manmohan Singh Council of Ministers. It felt that the Congress Party would get nervous to save its government and would agree to the seat sharing plan as planned in the last assembly elections and restrain CBI from questioning DMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi’ daughter, who is also the member of the Lower House and his wife in connection with 2G Scam as they have share in family TV channel Kalaingar.

But as all the investgation in 2 G Scam is monitored by Supreme Court, Congress can not do anything. So when all the game plan of DMK to make Congress subservient boomeranged on itself because its leadership failed to understand about the depth of political acueman the Congress Party has. Neither the Manmohan Singh Government nor the Congress Party showed any interest in DMK’s decision of pulling out its six ministers and go to the assemly elections alone.In contrary, the Congress party immediately managed the support of 22 Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha members instead of DMK’s 18 MPs.

DMK had to realise that it would not succeed in hard bargaining with Congress. Congress needs as much suport of DMK in Tamil Nadu as much DMK needs of Cobgress in New Delhi.

It is also the ground reality that demands on DMK and Congress to go together in assembly elections. There is not any upper swing of support for DMK this time. It needs formidable Party like Congress to fight together the assembly elections for getting back power. So, DMK had to agree to the Congress demand of 63 seats.

After the end of stewardship of K Kamraj of the Congress in TN, it has never led the ruling coalition government in the state. Either it is Karunanidhi’s DMK or M G Ramchandran’s AIADMK, to be in power they have always taken Congress support.

But with the ascendancyof Rahul Gandhi in the Congress, who is an strong advocate of go alone principle, the party tries its best to strenthen itself first. The hint about going alone in Tamil Nadu had been given by Rahul Gandhi a few months back during his visit there. That showed seed of ambition among party workers and made them assert their claim strongly. But at last, it is good that DMK-Congress alliance stands because it is very difficult for the DMK to fight alone in face of the several minus points going against it. Its former union minster is in jail in 2G Scam and anti-incumbancy factor also goes against it.