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DMK peeved as UF keeps options open

N Sathiya Moorthy in Madras

Despite the public demonstration of United Front support on the Jain Commission issue, the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham in Tamil Nadu is peeved at the combine not closing its options, on the possibility of forming an alternative government at the Centre with Congress support.

By the same token, the DMK is also suspicious that its ally, the Tamil Maanila Congress may jump on the Congress bandwagon if an alternative government looks possible.

''There is no reason why the United Front should decide against seeking dissolution of the Lok Sabha with the resignation of the Gujral government,'' said a DMK ideologue.

''No non-Bharatiya Janata Party regime is possible without Congress support. By keeping the dissolution option open, other UF constituents seem ready to let down the DMK, precisely as they had dumped H D Deve Gowda after the fall of his regime earlier this year,''

The strategy, according to him, could be that the UF, minus the DMK, would back the Congress, or vice versa, once President K R Narayanan closes the BJP option.

''The BJP can either say 'no'' to forming a government, or form one and get defeated on the confidence vote,'' said the leader. ''Maybe later, the Congress-UF ploy may be launched, minus the DMK.''

If the strategy does not work, it may not be for want of trying, but only for other reasons, he said. ''If the UF constituents are honest in their intent to stand by the DMK, they would not have left new openings, where none really should have existed.''

Foreclosing the BJP option, he added, would also ensure that the DMK does not desert the Front after the latter swearing unity in public. ''If the DMK were to be pushed into the BJP's hands, that could have opened the floodgates for the UF's disintegration, and a possible victory for the BJP in a confidence vote.''

In this context, the DMK leadership has not taken kindly to the TMC keeping its future options as vague as possible. ''In the light of G K Moopanar not standing by us in public on the Jain panel issue, this kind of open-door policy only widens the existing chasm between the two parties, pushing it possibly to a point of no-return.''

This leader, like many others in the DMK, says he could appreciate the TMC's inherent predicament in the evolving situation. ''The party wants the alliance with the DMK to continue, but cannot go to the polls with us, on the Rajiv Gandhi assassination issue. Moopanar could have discussed his problems with the DMK leadership, and together they could have evolved a joint strategy long before the Jain panel report became public.''

Indications are that DMK supremo M Karunanidhi may not be too keen on continuing the electoral alliance with the TMC, should a snap poll be ordered. The DMK leader said, ''Both leaders hail from the Thanjavur delta, and Karunanidhi values Moopanar's personal friendship more than any electoral understanding. That being the case, he feels let down, and has started looking for other electoral options.''

Karunanidhi is known to told visitors recently that the BJP could give a better government than the UF-Congress combine.

A recent visitor to the chief minister's home said, ''He still feels the ideological divide between the BJP and the DMK cannot be filled overnight, but is not averse to an adjustment or agreement that might see a BJP government at the Centre, if that would ensure stability sans political stunts of the Congress variety.''

''It will all depend on how comfortable the UF makes us feel, and what decision we take on aligning with the TMC," the DMK ideologue added. "After all, an election now will throw up a near-similar situation, and the UF should decide on the DMK now itself.''

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