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Government humouring Jaya to keep her in the coalition

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government's moves today, indicating that it is willing to 'humour' All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary J Jayalalitha to keep her in the ruling coalition, has underscored its anxiety about the Opposition moves to topple it.

Defence Minister George Fernandes, who briefed reporters on the deliberations of the ruling coalition's co-ordination committee at the prime minister's Race Course Road residence today, said the government would implement the Sethusamudran project in Tamil Nadu as demanded by the AIADMK.

This points to the government's willingness to dance to Jayalalitha's tune to prevent her from joining up with the opposition, which is frantically trying to woo her.

It also underlined that the AIADMK chief is determined to make the most of the government's 'pliant' attitude to get her way.

Meanwhile, top Congress politicians told Rediff On The NeT that the party is divided on whether Sonia Gandhi would sacrifice long-term gain for short-term benefit.

They said that after the "Bihar fiasco", where the Congress saved the Rabri Devi government and then called for its resignation after the latest carnage in Jehanabad, more wrong moves by the party could neutralise all the advantages that Gandhi had gained in the last six months.

The Left parties, meanwhile, are getting disenchanted with Jayalalitha's moves to consolidate her position in the present scenario. Leftist MPs claimed that she had indicated to some "third force" politicians that the BJP-led government could be toppled if she was projected as the prime minister. They said Jayalalitha was even willing to become deputy prime minister if she was given control of some important portfolios.

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