In a surprising move, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad called on DMK chief M Karunanidhi at the latter’s CIT Colony residence in Chennai late on Thursday. Though what transpired in the 20 minute-long meeting is not known, Azad told journalists waiting outside the palatial residence that it was just a courtesy call.
“Relation between the DMK and the Congress dates back to many years and we have very cordial relations. We did not discuss anything political during this meeting,” said Azad.
Azad reached Chennai en-route to attend a function scheduled at Christian Medical College, Vellore, on Friday. This is the first meeting between Azad and Karunanidhi after a last minute patch up bid by the Congress in early 2013 to prevent the DMK from ditching the UPA fold.
Though Azad made the usual statement that it was a courtesy call without any room for politics, political observers, especially those who have been following the Congress and the DMK moves for decades, feel that the Congress has made the first major move to re-establish its tie up with the DMK for the upcoming lok Sabha elections.
It is well known that though the DMK and the Congress had separated, it was not a permanent divorce between the two parties. And though the DMK had been showing a brave face in their utterances that they have decided to contest the lok Sabha elections on its own, it was fully aware that the support of the Congress was a must to defeat the AIADMK at the hustings.
In this context the move by Azad is welcomed by the senior leaders of both the parties and many DMK leaders feel that it would be welcomed by former Union Minister MK Alagiri, Karunanidhi’s elder son who is sulking at Madurai over the raw deal he got from the party leadership. Alagiri is in good terms with a union cabinet minister belonging to the Congress because it was the former who ensured the “victory” of the minister who was defeated in the 2009 lok Sabha election.
Though the DMK had snapped its ties with the Congress last year, both the parties had maintained channel of communication. Union ministers P Chidambaram and G K Vasan are regular visitors to Karunanidhi’s house. Both the parties were careful not to attack each other as Karunanidhi and Congress leaders knew well that the snapping of ties was a temporary affair to suit the prevailing political situation. Moreover, Karunanidhi needs to save his daughter Kanimozhi from the 2G Spectrum case in which she is one of the prime accused.
“The alliance between the DMK and the Congress would continue. We are hopeful of the DMDK too joining the front. Next Congress leader coming to call on the party chief will be AK Antony,” a DMK insider told The Pioneer.