The case of the Tamil Maanila Congress is more telling. The newly-appointed TNCC chief, Tindivanam Ramamurthy, has made it clear that none of the TMC leaders enjoy any special relationship with 10, Janpath and that his mission is to recover all the Congress properties which the TMC leadership took with it when it parted from the parent party two years ago. The TMC's present strength stems from its perceived closeness to 10, Janpath. But with the exit of the former Tiruchirapalli MP L. Adaikalaraj and a steady exodus of cadres to the Congress, G.K. Moopanar is fast losing his grip over the TMC. While a section of the leadership feels that it should align with Sonia, they are intrigued by her enigmatic silence about the TNCC's public taunting of the TMC. The TMC's real fear is that if the Congress chooses to accept the support of the 18 AIADMK MPs, then Jayalalitha is likely to ensure that the three TMC MPs (including former finance minister P. Chidam-baram) are kept out of the government.