TMC not keen on joining Congress

N Sathiya Moorthy in Madras

Sonia Gandhi joining the Congress notwithstanding, the Tamil Maanila Congress is not inclined to rejoin the parent organisation. At least, there are no immediate plans to merge with the Congress, according to informed TMC sources.

"We are in no great hurry to rejoin the Congress," says a TMC source. "A lot will, of course, depend on Sonia Gandhi becoming the Congress president and giving an open call asking us to rejoin the party. Otherwise the status quo helps both the parties.''

According to this TMC leader, rejoining the Congress will imply jumping on the bandwagon of internal fights and groupism. "The formation of the TMC has given us a leadership capable of taking the right decisions, reflecting the cadre sentiments. It also implies that the interests of the party -- not that of a national personality -- would be in the forefront while taking decisions on electoral allies and seat adjustments in the state."

In this context, this leader refers to TMC founder G K Moopanar's well-known 'restore Kamaraj rule in the state' agenda. "He would like to be seen as the man who laid the foundation for the same, in case he is unable to achieve it in his lifetime. It's a long process, but we don't want to get into hasty mergers which would serve no great purpose," the leader said.

"Moreover, as our experience in 1989 showed, the national leadership of the Congress always sacrificed the state unit's interests to garner the support of a few more MPs to continue its rule at the Centre," he added.

The Tamil voters's sentimental attachment to the Nehru-Gandhi family and the TMC cadres's soft-corner for Rajiv Gandhi's widow would not serve any purpose, the sources said. "Remember, Rajiv Gandhi toured the state extensively for over six months before the 1989 assembly election? Tamil voters gave us only 29 seats in the assembly against the DMK's 135 or so," he said.

Besides the TMC has to gauge the voter mood before making any such move. "Voters seem to be against corruption in high places. The Congress is steeped in corruption cases, and thankfully we don't have to defend them." They feel the Bofors case may acquire a new turn soon, putting Congressmen in an unenviable position. In this context, some of them also discreetly refer to the Indian Bank scam, wherein the TMC leadership too may take a severe beating.

"If this happens, we may have a reconsider our options including our own relations with the Congress . If not an outright merger, there will then be greater coordination between the two parties for each other's survival," said a party leader.

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