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AIADMK allies miffed with Amma

N Sathiya Moorthy in Madras

Barring the Janata Party and the Thamizhaga Rajiv Congress, each with one Lok Sabha member, major partners of the AIADMK have been maintaining a stoic silence over Jayalalitha's ongoing tussles with Prime Minister A B Vajpayee.

"We are maintaining a discreet silence, and are watching the unfolding events with care and caution," says a leader of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam with three Lok Sabha members. Against this, the four-member Pattali Makkal Katchi ally seems more sympathetic towards the AIADMK cause. "We can appreciate the AIADMK's compulsions, but we cannot accept the way it is being expressed," says a party executive.

Both allies maintain that the AIADMK's ongoing 'war-of-nerves' with the BJP partner can damage their collective standing in the voters mind. Says the MDMK leader: "It was the BJP's 'stable-and-able' card that did the trick, and we have no doubts about that. The voter was more sympathetic towards the BJP's cause than to those of the AIADMK, MDMK or others." The leader, however, maintains that the AIADMK stands to lose from this-war-of-nerves.

The PMK leader says, "There seems to be some genuine confusion in the AIADMK mind that the alliance victory this time owed it to the party. What they don't seem to understand is that without the BJP's image, we would not have been able to perform this well, though the 'anti-establishment' mood of the voter would have helped us to some extent. The AIADMK, instead of building up on the party's restricted public image seems to be losing whatever goodwill it has managed to win back after the 1996 poll disaster."

Though both parties say they are occasionally being kept informed on the AIADMK's various moves, there is no consultation worth the name. "With the result, we end up giving the impression to our own cadres that the AIADMK is riding rough shod over us. The voter feels that we are helpless in putting the alliance house in order."

The MDMK feels more comfortable in the company of the BJP, and the PMK has greater use for the AIADMK. At least, as of now. The PMK feels the AIADMK treated it with respect as an alliance partner compared to the DMK. The party also believes the AIADMK and the PMK have a wider impact than a DMK-PMK combine.

"But a lot depends on the cadre-mood and the voter-acceptability at the time of an election, whenever held." However, the same yardstick will be applicable if the party has to choose between the AIADMK and the BJP -- or even the DMK.

Against this, the MDMK is more cautious. Unlike the PMK, which is a community-based political party that has managed to make an electoral dent this time, the MDMK counts itself as a full-fledged political party; like any other. "We will hence require some time-frame to establish ourselves as a follow-up to our electoral victories, and cannot be a party to the AIADMK misadventure," says the MDMK leader. "Not so early, anyway," he adds.

The MDMK leader points out that tensions and tussles are unavoidable in coalition politics. Hence, every passing day they are forced to take a stand on policy-matters.

As a pan-Tamil party, the MDMK has 'definite views' on issues such as the Cauvery water dispute and the reservations row. "We could not have been a party to an 'unpalatable decision' at the Cabinet-level, and speak against it outside," he continues. Hence the decision that the MDMK would not join the Vajpayee government now.

For all this, however, the MDMK is uncomfortable about talks of the rival DMK coming to support the Vajpayee government on a later date. "This is mere speculation," says the MDMK leader.

But he does not know how the party should react if the DMK comes to support the BJP. "Let's cross the bridge when we come to that," he says adding that a lot will depend on the mode and methodology of the DMK's support for the BJP. However, he is not so sure that the DMK will side with the BJP, at all.

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