Jaya 'warns' Congress against DMK, suggests tie-up - National News Updates

Chennai: Political equations are fast changing ahead of the General Elections. In Tamil Nadu, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has offered to tie-up with the Congress.

AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa said that the Congress that it must break away from its ally the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK), if it wants to win the elections.

She said all parties who stand by the DMK stand to lose and their hopes lie in a tie-up with the AIADMK.

Jayalalithaa, who was attending the wedding of 61 of her party activists in Chennai on Thursday, told the Congress to you break away from the DMK and join the AIADMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK chief also hinted that her party had very cordial relations with the Congress when Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were in power.

"The DMK is caught in a quicksand. Nobody can help it out. Those who want to help it will also be caught in the quicksand and the Congress should come out of web of the DMK," she was quoted as saying by PTI.

Jayalalithaa has already tied up with the Communist Party of India-Marxist and Communist Party of India for the Lok Sabha elections.

"I am suggesting this because of the good relationship the AIADMK and Congress enjoyed in the past. If Congress does not listen, it will also be caught in the quicksand like the DMK," she said.

The DMK has been under fire, from even its allies, for its poor handling of the Sri Lankan Tamil issue.

In the 14th Lok Sabha all the 39 seats from Tamil Nadu are being held by the UPA. Congress is a key kingmaker in Tamil Nadu. Traditionally, a Dravida party plus Congress has been the beneficiary in the state.

A CNN-IBN-CSDS poll has already predicted that the AIADMK is ahead in the race in the general elections 2009.

Traditionally, Tamil Nadu is all about alliances. The poll shows that while there is a dead heat between the DMK and the AIADMK, 13 per cent are with the Congress.

There is also the PMK (Pattali Makkal Katchi) which is as of now with the DMK alliance. So Chief Minister M Karunanidhi maybe down, but he is not out.