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Sonia's outburst lands TMC in tight spot

The Tamil Maanila Congress is running for political cover.

TMC cadres are confused, and the leaders shocked, with former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's widow Sonia raking up the Jain Commission issue.

''It is a strategic move aimed at forcing our hands, only on our ties with the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the state, but also on our post-poll ties and preferences, where the Marxists want to wrest the initiative,'' said a TMC leader. ''At best, it is embarrassing and confusing. What more, it also serves notice that Sonia Gandhi may, after all, be willing to lead the Congress from the front, if a hung Parliament leads to a non-BJP government. It is also sending hints to our leader G K Moopanar that he should be sure about personal ambition.''

According to him, by indirectly referring to those who were 'playing power politics' and 'aligning themselves with those who killed my husband', Sonia was forcing the TMC to take an early decision on its DMK alliance. ''By extending the logic to the national level, she is also serving notice that Moopanar will have to choose between the Congress camp and the 'Marxist-influenced' United Front, sooner than later.

''She could not have chosen a better place to send out the message than Amethi, the traditional constituency of the Nehru-Gandhi family. But more important is its timing.''

As he points out, Sonia's message comes a day after the Leftists said they would rather sit in the Opposition than back a Congress-led government after the poll. And a day before Moopanar was to share a public dais with DMK supremo M Karunanidhi and Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral, launching the combine's election campaign in the state on Monday.

''The Leftists's decision implies that they will not accept Sonia's leadership of the Congress,'' argues the leader. ''And we as a party have been working with the DMK, the Communist Party of India-Marxist and other United Front partners, to keep the BJP out. Now, Sonia seems to imply that we have to make our position on the Congress and her leadership clear. That we cannot keep hunting with the hound and running with the hare, that we cannot have our cake and eat it too.''

In a way, Sonia may be taking the decision that ''Moopanar has been finding hard to take in the last few months. With the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham already in the BJP camp, and the DMK tilting towards the CPI-M at the national-level, it was but natural for the TMC to move closer to the Congress.

''Moopanar has been swearing by the Nehru-Gandhi family at the personal level, but working with the DMK-CPI-M on the political plane, making it look self-contradictory if not self-defeating. Now she wants us to come clean on that, though it is too strong a phrase to use.''

In this context, he also refers to the possibility of Moopanar being propped up as the non-BJP prime ministerial candidate as a 'balancing factor' against the Congress's Manmohan Singh and the CPI-M-backed Mulayam Singh Yadav if the poll leads to a hung Parliament.

''By referring to power politics now, Sonia seems to be pouring cold water on all such moves and ambitions,'' he says. ''And seems to suggest that she may not be uninterested in leading such a coalition and that Moopanar should not play into the hands of elements working against it. She has also sent out signals that she is willling to stay and fight, both against the BJP and the CPI-M.''

Sonia Gandhi's Amethi speech has also unnerved the DMK. The party that was hoping to push the Jain Commission report into the background, and promote a positive campaign based on the special court verdict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, if at all, now finds itself cornered all over again.

''By reacting to the court verdict in our favour so loudly, the United Front leadership and Gujral have only done us a disservice,'' says a DMK source. ''The DMK's adversaries may exploit the situation.''

Against this, however, the state Congress finds itself better placed after the Sonia speech. ''She has set the agenda for Moopanar, and he has to now decide, quick and fast,'' says one leader.

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