With the state government ordering the withdrawl of the National Security Act charges against PMK strongman ‘Kaduvetty’ J Guru on Wednesday, the alliance between the DMK and the PMK which hit its nadir in June after a reportedly inflammatory speech by Guru, has come full circle.The definite signs of a thaw in relationship had been evident in the last few days with the partners-turned-foes closing ranks for the Lankan Tamil cause. While both parties issued conciliatory statements, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, when quizzed about the presence of PMK founder S Ramdoss and the importance accorded to him by the Government during the all-party meeting on Tuesday, gave the most direct indication of the detente by claiming that the ties between the two were never snapped.It was Guru’s speech that was cited as the final straw that broke the partnership, though the relation between the ruling DMK and their electoral partners PMK had gone sour soon after Karunanidhi’s Government was sworn in. While the PMK, especially Ramadoss, had become particularly strident in their criticism of the government, Guru the State president of PMK’s parent organisation, Vanniyar Sangam, had accused Union Minister A Raja, the regional DMK heavyweight, of acting against him. Relations hit a new low with the alleged arrest of PMK cadres across the State. Guru was arrested on July 5, two weeks after his party was shown the door as per the recommendation by the high-level policy implementation committee of the DMK. He was subsequently charged under the provisions of NSA that ensured his continuation in custody without trial for at least a year, and two other cases were lodged against him based on individual complaints.”Even after the condemnable speech, neither any action has been taken against the party member nor was an apology tendered by PMK leaders. In this situation, unfortunately, this alliance cannot continue,” DMK president and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had said while announcing the party’s decision to break ties.However, the political situation in the State has undergone a massive realignment in the state since then, as the Left parties have distanced themselves from the DMK over its support to Congress in the July 22 trust vote. While the Congress, whose support is critical for propping up the minority DMK government, has become increasingly critical, the Opposition AIADMK’s stock has risen with the Left and the Right approaching Jayalalithaa for a possible partnership in the coming general elections. On the other hand, PMK’s ambitious plans of forging an alliance with the AIADMK or the Congress also came a cropper and the Lankan Tamil issue served as the perfect platform for the two parties to mend fences.
