ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Cracks in AIADMK front exposed

With Marulamarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Vaiko, aka V Gopalaswamy and Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S Ramadoss announcing continued support to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government at the Centre, cracks in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham-led front have been exposed.

While Vaiko is upset that AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha has gone back on her promise to attend the MDMK rally in Madras on September 15 to celebrate the 90th birth anniversary of the late C N Annadurai, Ramadoss has not taken kindly to his name being left out of the MDMK announcement in Sangoli,the party's newspaper. Ramadoss has since agreed to attend the rally.

"However, Jayalalitha disapproves of it," says a PMK leader, referring to what he calls the "MDMK's attempts to project itself as the leader of a pro-BJP grouping within the alliance.

"It serves us no purpose by playing second-fiddle to the MDMK, and can only hurt our cadre sentiments, instead," he added.

The AIADMK leadership has all along been looking at the MDMK with suspicions of having a separate agenda of its own for Tamil Nadu politics.

"Vaiko losing no time in identifying himself with the BJP even during the first-round of the latter's showdown with the AIADMK, too, was not to Jayalalitha's liking," said an AIADMK source. As he pointed out, Jayalalitha was not consulting Vaiko as she did with other allies, for a time, in between.

Incidentally, the ruling DMK is also organising a mega-show at Tirunelveli at the same time, as part of its three-day golden jubilee conference. "By having her own show the same day as the DMK and the MDMK, Jayalalitha is out to prove to the BJP leadership the comparative strengths of the three 'Dravidian parties'."

Insiders also mention a personal reason for Jayalalitha deciding to stay away from Madras when Vajpayee and Advani visit the city. Though inspired media reports say she wanted to snub the BJP leadership by not being around to receive them, the opposite is the truth.

"Erstwhile AIADMK allies like Chandra Shekhar as prime minister, and Rajiv Gandhi as the Congress president had called on her at her Poes Garden residence at the height of their alliance-formation. P V Narasimha Rao as prime minister and Congress president turned down suggestions for a similar honour when Jayalaitha was chief minister. The AIADMK cadres would take it as a `snub', and a read a message in it if Vajpayee follows the Rao precedent, as is only to be expected."

The PMK leader explained, "The message is for the AIADMK. Their need for our vote banks in the northern districts is greater than our need of their cadres. We are for the BJP, and against the Congress in national politics..."

He has a point. That the party's Vanayar community base has been traditionally 'anti-Congress' since the first general election, and the leadership too shares the same sentiments.

As for Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress leader and Union Petroleum Minister Vazhappadi K Ramamurthy, he said that 'review of support' is a two-way street. By implication, this means, the TRC could snap ties with the AIADMK if it snapped ties with the BJP.

Tell us what you think of this report