Orchestrated Defiance
Is the Congress, which is emerging stronger with every assembly election in the aftermath of its unexpected success in the May Lok Sabha elections, getting firm with its allies? That seems to be the case as the volte- face by Karunanidhi on Jairam Ramesh, union minister for environment and forests, and the curious case of the CBI on the telecom ministry headed by A Raja shows. And now comes yet another about turn by CM Karunanidhi who was all set to spew fire and brimstone first at Jairam Ramesh, then pencilled in Kerala for the treatment but has retreated.
A meeting scheduled in Madurai on November 1 to condemn Jairam Ramesh – whose ministry gave permission to Kerala to conduct a survey as a precursor to building a dam to replace the 114-year-old Mullaiperiyar dam (a standing committee of the National Board of Wildlife chaired by Ramesh had given the go ahead to Kerala) – was to go ahead except that its changed agenda was to vilify Kerala. The Madurai meeting which was to have Karunanidhi addressing and his son, M K Azhagiri, union minister for chemicals and fertilizers, presiding was to show that the DMK can read the riot act to its ally, the Congress. But Karunanidhi’s announcement in party organ, Murasoli, showed that the DMK thought better of provoking its ally which seems to be in a mood to flex its muscle in the changed political scenario.