The Congress and the DMK will campaign jointly in the coming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections but are unlikely to have a joint manifesto in the electoral battle in which corruption, incumbency and dynasty issues figure prominently.
According to Congress sources, the two parties sharing power at the Centre since 2004, the issues of former telecom minister A. Raja’s arrest and the 2G spectrum allocation scam would not create any rift between the two and the joint campaign.
“The corruption issue would have a bearing on urban areas and voters. But then we will have to explain the issue to people,” said an AICC official who did not want to be quoted.
It will be interesting to see how the two allies will interpret action against Mr Raja. While the DMK is refusing to dump the former telecom minister even after his arrest by the CBI, the Congress will have to justify the action if the AIADMK built up its campaign on the 2G issue.
“It is going to be a tough election,” feared a senior Congress leader from Tamil Nadu. Asked whether the two parties would have a joint election manifesto, he instead drew attention to how the Congress supported the Karunanidhi government from outside and thus cannot take credit for its performance. Besides, the Congress is a national party and thus will fight on its own programme, he said.
Meanwhile, the Congress on Friday steered clear of the DMK’s move of giving total backing to Mr Raja.
At the same time, the party said that the arrest of Mr Raja would have no bearing on DMK-Congress ties as also on the success of the alliance in the southern state.
“It is a comment made by him on a member of his party,” Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan told reporters when asked whether the Congress endorses DMK supremo M. Karunanidhi’s comment that Mr Raja’s “mere” arrest in the 2G spectrum scam does not make him guilty and that he has been made to suffer for making rate of mobile calls cheaper.
She said the arrest of Mr Raja was the culmination of the law taking its course in the 2G issue. She said “despite all doubts and cynicism” expressed by the Opposition, the inquiry into the issue is going on and action is being taken.