ADMK, allies spar over berths

Reacting to this, Patali Makkal Katchi (PMK) chief S. Ramadoss has described the ADMK’s chief action as unjustified since Ramamurthy was performing well. The PMK chief demolished the facade of an alliance when he announced that his party’s nominee, Dalit Ezhilamali, would quit the Central cabinet if the PM took away Ramamurthy’s portfolio.

Sources in the AIADMK front said Ramadoss was upset since he believed theAIADMK had tried to prevent his party from getting a second berth in the Ministry. AIADMK was also thwarting the MDMK chance of getting a Cabinet berth, reliable party sources said. Her allies, it is said, were furious on learning that Jayalalitha wanted the Railways portfolio as well for her party.

The fissures were evident at the Marina rally of her poll ally, the MDMK, on September 15, at which all the prominent partners of the ruling coalition in Delhi, including leaders of the PMK, the TRC and even Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and Home Minister L.K. Advani, along with Samata Party chief George Fernandes, shared the podium with Vaiko. But Vazhapadi and Ramadoss still struck a posture of being Amma’s faithful lieutenants.

The divide had begun earlier when Jayalalitha contradicted Vazhapadi Ramamurthy’s assertion in July that the AIADMK would continue to support the Vajpayee Government. It became quickly clear that Jayalalitha was no longer in complete command of her front with five parties and 27MPs.

When the front met at Jayalalitha’s Poes Garden residence soon after the new Cauvery Water accord in August, the growing chasm was further evident when the allies stated for public consumption that they had left it to her to take “an appropriate decision at the appropriate time” with regard to support to the Vajpayee Government. On their part, the PMK, MDMK and TRC declared that they would continue their support to the BJP-led regime even if Amma decided otherwise.

The front is still in place as no one wants to pull out, giving the impression of a wrecker. The latest illustration of the cold war was the Delhi tea party. Not only did Jayalalitha initially omit the BJP from the exclusive guest list, she also forgot her own regional partners — S. Ramadoss, Vaiko and Ramamurthy. Later, of course, Jayalalitha relented and sent out invitations.

MDMK leader Vaiko was away in the US and missed out on the samosas and tea. However, one MDMK functionary told The Indian Express: “We are notso shameless as to purchase last-minute tickets in black (market) for that show.”

Jayalalitha no longer meets her allies at her Poes Garden bungalow these days and Ramamurthy rarely comes to the city. However, at a recent meeting of his party’s executive committee, he is said to have assured partymen that the so-called demand made by Jayalalitha for his post was mere media speculation and swore that the alliance with the AIADMK was very much on.

Reports that the Congress seems to be snuggling closer to the AIADMK only adds to the uncertainty of the AIADMK’s future relations with its regional partners. It is doubtful whether they would be accommodated in a possible AIADMK-Congress (I) grouping. The suspected softness of the MDMK and the PMK towards the LTTE and the `betrayal’ of ex-Congressman Vazhapadi Ramamurthy in teaming up with the BJP could keep the three out of a possible Congress (I)-AIADMK alliance.