Chennai: It is that time of the year in Tamil Nadu politics when every political party is teeming with activity. Some collect applications from cadres, a few woo allies and one or two even declare chief ministerial candidates.
But Congress is busy offsetting criticism levelled at it for the internal squabbles a few months ahead of polls. TNCC has been making news for all wrong reasons, thanks to party chief EVKS Elangovan and his eternally warring party colleagues from the Chidambaram camp and most recently MLA S. Vijayadharani who had uttered all but her quitting the party.
The Congress has more than publicly revealed its desperation to again ride piggyback on the DMK, which, is not only keeping the TNCC at arm’s length but also seems to prefer holding direct negotiation with ’10 janpath’ instead of khadar veshtis in Sathyamurthy Bhavan, if necessary.
Meanwhile, leaders of BJP are still trying to salvage the NDA in TN by tying up with Vijayakanth’s DMDK even while sending feelers to Poes Garden through reliable intermediaries.
Apart from constituting local committees, neither Sathyamurthy Bhavan nor Kamalalayam have started any real election related activity like the two Dravidian majors.
“Both national parties have only themselves to blame because they have invariably relied on at least one of the regional parties in all elections in the last few decades. They have no other go but to wait and remain mute spectators till one of the major regional parties acquiesce to their request,” a political commentator requesting anonymity said.
