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.
As the Congress sees it, Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu can only be won if it has the right ally. And so, the party has been trying to decide which party to align with. Since any truck with the DMK is out of question, the party has little options. Jayalalitha, who may not be welcomed by the National Front in the wake of her differences with Deve Gowda, is herself looking for an alliance. It's no coincidence that her friends in the Congress, Sitaram Kesri and K.V. Thangabalu, have been actively championing her case.
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However, a sizeable section of Congressmen in Tamil Nadu are against any understanding with the AIADMK. It is a different matter that in the final count, the state unit of the party rarely goes against the decision of the high command. But given the fact that the Congress and the AIADMK always had a blow-hot-blow-cold relationship, the ties could go either way.
