Congress jittery as MK declines to take cabinet berths

The reported stand of DMK Chief M Karunanidhi, that his party will not seek ministerial berths in the next round of cabinet reshuffle, has added fuel to the murmurs in the Congress that their biggest ally in the coalition is now seeking to keep a safe distance.

Congress leaders here pointed out that the party high command has already been briefed on the “fluid” situation of the alliance with the Dravidian party and that the DMK is most likely to sever its ties with the UPA before the next Lok Sabha elections.

Highly placed sources in the Congress said that the defensive positioning that DMK took soon after the fallout of the 2G spectrum scam has seen a change over the last few months, with Karunanidhi being vocal in his criticism of the Centre on several fronts. The reluctance on accepting the offer of Cabinet berths, sources said, should be seen in the light of such posturing by the DMK patriarch, especially at a time when the Trinamool Congress has withdrawn support making DMK the biggest ally of the UPA.

The Congress leader, who is also a Union Minister, said that there was a perception within the DMK that if the offer of more Cabinet berths are accepted at this juncture, the party might be shown in poor light, given that the TMC has withdrawn with the argument of fighting for people’s issues.

When asked if the matter of Cabinet positions would again be pursued with the DMK leadership in the future, the Congress leader replied positively stating that nothing was “etched in stone.”

Also, the party would be keenly observing the developments with the DMK set to hold its Executive Committee meet on October 1.

Meanwhile, State-level leaders in the Congress pointed out that it was “unnecessary” for the leadership to depute PMO Minister V Narayanasamy, an “outsider” when it came to Tamil Nadu affairs, to hold talks with the DMK Chief on the issue. “They knew the UPA coordination committee meet is slated for Thursday. They could have conveyed the message then through some tall leaders,” said a party functionary on condition of anonymity.