Janardhana Poojary, general secretary of the AICC who is in charge of Tamil Nadu, fuelled the speculation further when he stated in Madras that "we are keeping our options open." At theheight of the Cauvery controversy, two senior leaders from Tamil Nadu, S.R. Balasubramiam and TNCC chief Kumari Ananthan, were of the view that the "time is not right for petty and cynical differences". The Congress virtually stood by the AIADMK during the latest round of the battle for the Cauvery waters.