Cong fears opposition campaign in TN will get shriller post-JPC

Congress is worried that the JPC probe into the spectrum scam will sharpen the opposition campaign in Tamil Nadu and put more pressure on the ruling combine battered by twin issues of corruption and DMK's family woes
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A green signal to a parliamentary probe on 2G would worsen the ground situation where arrest of former telecom minister A Raja and allegations that the DMK brass received benefits have created a negative sentiment, Congress sources said.

The Centre's crumbling resistance on opposition's JPC demand has sparked fears that Jayalalithaa's anti-DMK pitch would get shriller.

The apprehensions were evident as Congress leaders took stock of Tuesday's all-party meeting and argued that Tamil Nadu polls could be the JPC's first victim despite the BJP-led opposition targeting the Centre.

While some leaders felt the mood could not get any worse after Raja's arrest, a section argued it could do without a parliamentary probe which would only amplify the message of graft. Amid the gloom, the saving grace for the ruling combine is JPC's timing, likely to be announced when Parliament meets on February 22. The budget session will run till April 21.

Sources said the multi-party panel was unlikely to meet during the session and assembly polls would be over by the time it begins serious work like summoning people and taking evidence. The elections are to roll out in April-May 2011.

The overlap of Parliament and polls will shield the ruling DMK from sustained exposure to the committee's hearings. The testimonies and documents on spectrum would be at the mercy of BJP-led opposition which would relish the chance to amplify the campaign against government.

A senior leader said while the negative campaign cannot get any worse — with AIADMK's media briefings, reports from CBI and images of Raja in court — the absence of JPC meetings would still soften the blow. There is rethink on the belief that graft would only impact the urban centres and AIADMK's campaign would not be convincing because of its own history.

In an even field, alliances may decide the game. Congress hopes that AIADMK and Vijayakanth's DMDK pact does not fructify while PMK seals a tie-up with Karunanidhi. A weak AIADMK alliance would allow a relieved Karunanidhi camp to play on the state's welfare schemes to boost its support and ride on the stronger caste arithemetic.