A Cong-DMK alliance? Once the unspeakable, now the probable

‘‘We welcomed the departure of the DMK from the NDA government,’’ said Vasan, when contacted by The Indian Express. ‘‘We are waiting for it to fully sever ties with the NDA. But official talks will only be held with the concurrence of the AICC.’’

Now with the MDMK also quitting the NDA today, efforts have begun to take the idea of a ‘‘secular front’’ to its conclusion: led by the DMK and comprising the Congress, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M) and Dalit Panthers.

If this happens, it will be of tremendous political significance. For, it was the Congress which toppled the Gujral government in 1997 after the United Front refused to kick the DMK out following the interim report of the Jain Commission investigating Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.

The report had said that ‘‘the conclusion is irresistible that there was tacit support to the LTTE by M. Karunanidhi and his government between 1989 and 1991.’’

The then Sitaram Kesri-led Congress made a big issue of the report and withdrew support and although Sonia Gandhi was not officially with the Congress at the time, the move was seen to have her blessings. And a sign of ‘‘loyalty to the family.’’

A senior Congress MP, who requested anonymity, said that the political situation now demanded that the party shed ‘‘old prejudices’’ and adopt a pragmatic view of politics. ‘‘When we do not go in for alliances, the media blames us for being unrealistic. And now if we explore ties with the DMK, you accuse us of being opportunistic. This is not fair,’’ the MP said.

According to the ‘‘pragmatic view,’’ a pre-poll understanding with the DMK would be crucial if the alliance is to be anywhere in the reckoning in the Lok Sabha elections.

In Tamil Nadu, with 39 seats, the Congress has always played second fiddle to one or other of the Dravidian parties. It was the first state where the national party-regional party alliance formula was tried out—wherein a majority of assembly seats were left to the regional party with the Congress contesting the majority of the LS seats.

That is unlikely to be followed this time and the Congress will have to settle for far fewer seats than it did in the 1970s and 80s, sources said. Even so, the formation of a secular front, its proponents say, will prove a morale booster and have a ripple effect in other states as well.

The DMK, too, is interested in a tie-up with the Congress and the Left because, though neither wins many seats, they have a support base spread across the state which is crucial to victory margins and sweeps.

For instance, though the Congress won only three seats in 1999 (when the TMC and Congress fought separately), the Congress-TMC combine polled over 10% of the votes in the state.