Congress seeking to enhance profile in TN

In terms of vote share, Congress, which got just 11.62% of the polled votes in the last general elections in Tamil Nadu, is not the strongest of parties. But, with barely a year to go for the assembly polls, it is clearly the most sought after alliance partner in the state.



Except for the Left, every other party –DMK, AIADMK, PMK and DMDK – is keen to align with Congress. And aware of its ability to make the scales tilt decisively in a battle of narrow margins in favour of one or another alliance, Congress has begun flexing its muscles, say party leaders.

Although a tie-up with DMK for the assembly polls seems near certain, the Congress leadership is drawing up strategies to increase its bargaining power. The outbursts by a senior leader in recent days, if seen in this context, could be attempts at unsettling the DMK or driving a hard bargain without entirely rocking the boat.

Significantly even after former TNCC president, EVKS Elangovan, unleashed an attack on the DMK, accusing it of appropriating all the credit for centrally-funded welfare schemes, the high command has chosen to remain silent.

Will Congress really go so far as to snap ties with DMK? Many feel Congress is merely sending signals now in order to improve its bargaining power during seat-sharing talks and also seek its rightful share of recognition for good governance. In the last assembly polls, Congress contested 48 seats as part of the DMK-led alliance. It ended up with 36 MLAs against DMK’s tally of close to 100. Eventually, Congress ended up lending outside support to the DMK regime .

This time round, the party is hoping to use some of the shine from its UPA-II avatar to enhance its profile in TN and may want to contest close to 100 seats and seek a share in power too, say party sources.

Elangovan, who continued his tirade against the DMK on Monday, told TOI, "Just because we are alliance partners, it does not mean we are their bonded labourers." He remains undeterred by warnings issued by Thangkabalu not to air his opinions on allies. "DMK leaders are nice to Congress leaders when they go to Delhi. But back in the state, they do everything to finish off our party. At a meeting in Tiruchendur on July 31, attended by MK Alagiri, a DMK functionary unleashed a scathing attack on Rajiv and Rahul. As a Congressman, it is my responsibility to counter it," he said.

Indeed, Congress leadership has been working on a strategy that puts it in direct conflict with its regional ally. In efforts to rejuvenate its voter base in the state, it is wooing sections once part of its traditional votebank but now experiencing erosion. AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi has made a series of visits to TN as part of a longterm strategy to recapture lost ground across erstwhile strongholds and build a grassroots base comprising youth and disenchanted sections among the dalits. "Rahul feels Congress has so far been helping Dravidian parties to grow. It is time we took care of ourselves," said a leader.

Minor skirmishes with DMK apart, state leaders say it is significant that Rahul has avoided meeting chief minister M Karunanidhi every time he visited TN. GenNext in the Gandhi Parivar is evidently looking to enhance its own profile in TN now rather than be seen as an appendage of the Dravidian parties for long. How this strategy plays out in the lead-up to the polls will depend on the DMK’s reaction.