The Democratic Indira Congress (K) that Karunakaran formed after breaking away from the Congress party is talking to AIADMK leaders and a host of other parties in south to form what DIC-K officials call, "A new grand anti-Congress alliance."
DIC-K president and Karunakaran's son K Muraleedharan said that his party is holding discussions with "like-minded parties across the country" for an alliance. "Our party is new, but it has got a solid base in Kerala now. We do not want to limit our party to just this state only. We want to cut across the state borders and form alliance with like-minded parties," Muraleedharan told rediff.com.
The forthcoming assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, scheduled for May, is one reason why DIC-K wants to have an alliance with AIADMK and other parties in Tamil Nadu.
Last week, Tamil Nadu Health Minister N Thalavai Sundaram visited Karunakaran and Muraleedharan in Kerala. DIC-K leaders said that Sundaram carried, "A political message" from Jayalalithaa.
AIADMK in Tamil Nadu is pitted against the Congress-Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam. DIC-K leaders say Karunakaran is keen to lure a large number of disgruntled leaders in the Tamil Nadu Congress into his party and then form a political alliance with AIADMK in Tamil Nadu to fight the elections.
Muraleedharan confirmed that AIADMK leaders are talking to Karunakaran for a possible alliance. "It is not just with AIADMK; we are talking to several regional parties for forming a national alliance. Our effort also is to become a national party," he pointed out.
DIC-K leaders said that Karunakaran has already held several rounds of discussions with former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief Tindivanam K Ramamoorthy and Pondicherry former assembly speaker and Puducherry Makkal Congress founder-leader P Kannan.
Ramamoorthy has lately been the most disgruntled Congress leader in Tamil Nadu; and Kannan had formed PMC by splitting the Congress.
Karunakaran hopes that if his party could attract disgruntled Congress leaders like Ramamoorthy and Kannan and then tie up with AIADMK, it would be a powerful anti-Sonia Gandhi, anti-Congress platform.
Muraleedharan said DIC-K would announce the proposed alliance details in course of time. "We are well-placed in Kerala, and we are sure that the Congress will collapse in the coming assembly elections in the state," he said.
Already, DIC-K and the Left Democratic Front headed by the Communist Party of India, Marxist has agreed to fight the elections on a united platform against the Congress-led United Democratic Front government.
The Left-DIC-K tie up for panchayat elections in Kerala had defeated the Congress in 2005.
