Sonia keeps dialling: now it’s Maya

After an ‘‘informal’’ meeting of her manifesto committee this evening—the panel included Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, Arjun Sengupta, J N Dixit, K Natwar Singh and Jairam Ramesh—she told reporters: ‘‘I rang her (Mayawati) up to meet her last night. Mayawati said she is going to Mumbai and we will meet after her return.’’

Calling it a ‘‘good development,’’ BSP Lok Sabha MP Rashid Alvi said that Mayawati was in Mumbai and she would meet Sonia when she gets back on January 12 or 13. It’s only then that ‘‘futher talks would be possible,’’ he said.

Asked about her statement in Mumbai on December 27 that the leader of the country would be decided by the people, Sonia said: ‘‘I stand by what I have said in Mumbai on the issue.’’

On who all was she reaching out to get her alliance going, Sonia said: ‘‘I am speaking to everyone…colleagues of all secular parties, those we have been speaking to and others.’’

Asked about the two-front strategy formulated by CPM veteran H K Surjeet after Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav expressed his inability to have any association with the BSP, Sonia said: ‘‘Whether one front or two fronts, it is best for us to work together…Nothing is final. There is plenty of time…But there is a view to finding a way to fight all together against the present government led by BJP.’’

Meanwhile, the Congress got some good news from Chennai today with Karunanidhi indicating that his party’s alliance with the Congress could be finalised by the end of the month.

He was talking to reporters after Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar called on him at his residence.

Aiyar had earlier told the media that during his ‘‘courtesy call’’ on Karunanidhi, he highlighted the Pranab Mukherjee committee recommendations that the Congress should finalise its alliances for the Lok Sabha elections by the end of January.

Asked about this, Karunanidhi said, ‘‘We may be able to do it by then or it may take 10 more days. The telephonic talk with (Congress president) Sonia Gandhi was the first step (towards alliance).’’

Karunanidhi also said that it was up to Sonia to decide who the Congress emissary should be to formally discuss the alliance issue and also to decide on the date for the talks.

About the meeting, speaking to The Indian Express, Aiyar said, ‘‘Karunanidhi stressed that the alliance should be based on communal harmony for bringing into existence a government that does not favour or disfavour any particular community.’’

It is learnt that the DMK is keen on this ‘‘deviation’’ from Congress formulation of the ‘‘secular alliance,’’ mainly because of the
propaganda in state against ‘‘secular’’ parties as being parties ‘‘against religion.’’

Earlier, Aiyar said he had not come as Sonia’s emissary but to express his condolences on the passing away of Murasoli Maran and also to congratulate the DMK president for pulling out of the NDA.