The ruling AIADMK is slowly chipping away at its ally-turned-bitter foe DMDK. The principal opposition partys MLA R Santhi called on Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa at her secretariat office on Wednesday morning,joining five others from her party who have shown definite signs of crossing over. Like each of the five other DMDK MLAs who had met the Chief Minister before her,Santhi,a first-time MLA representing Senthamangalam constituency,called on Jaya apparently to apprise her about development activities in her constituency and sought the governments support. In a state where meeting a rival politician is considered one of the surest signs of defection,few are convinced with the contention of the MLAs that their visit was official,particularly when DMDK leader Vijayakanth has been involved in a bitter war with Jayalalithaa ever since their coalition emerged victorious in the 2011 polls. Attrition of legislators from his flock is a major challenge for Vijayakanth,especially with little time left for the Rajya Sabha elections.
