TNN | Feb 10, 2012, 03.06AM IST



The political subtext of controversy surrounding Acharya’s sudden resignation is being read in the context of persistent BJP efforts to woo Tamil Nadu CM as a likely ally.
NEW DELHI: The Karnataka government's "gesture" to AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa in seeking the resignation of the special prosecutor in her graft cases has gone down well with the leader, and an alliance may fructify if the saffron party poses a credible challenge to the Congress.

The political subtext of the controversy surrounding Karnataka attorney general B V Acharya's sudden resignation is being read in the context of persistent BJP efforts to woo Tamil Nadu chief minister as a likely ally in the next parliamentary polls, although Jayalalithaa is offering no clue to her response.

While it is fairly obvious that Amma will take a call closer to the election, the party does not seem to think that UPA-II's decline is easily reversible. There is a growing feeling that the current round of assembly polls, including the Uttar Pradesh election, may leave Congress as wobbly as it has been through last year.

Till there is clarity in the political scene, AIADMK is expected to continue its cooperation in Parliament with BJP as part of its strategy to link up with Opposition groups as long as DMK remains a member of UPA-II. Jayalalithaa has said that her earlier offer of an alliance with Congress has been revised as the situation has changed with her emphatic win last year.

More than the trajectory of Congress's fortunes, AIADMK is keenly evaluating variables like the capacity of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to step into the breach and the possible prime ministerial nominee the saffron party would project ranging from veteran L K Advani to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.

Despite the Congress's troubles over corruption scandals, opinion polls have shown only a narrow gap between NDA and UPA-II with more than two years to go for elections. But a slowdown in governance and Congress's increased ally troubles have seen political parties consider the possibility of early polls and judge the relative strengths of rival alliances.

The southern party would like to keep in mind scenarios where NDA does not replace UPA-II and regional parties call the shots and also deliver a PM. The continuance of parties likeTrinamool Congress, NCP and DMK in the ruling coalition are factors the AIADMK would consider too. If BJP pulls ahead, a pre-poll alliance can be on the cards rather than one after elections.

Both AIADMK and Telugu Desam Party suffered in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and while their leaders are loathe to admit it, some political pundits have felt that in a national election the regional outfits would have been better placed in an alliance. While Odisha's Navin Patnaik did well on his own, TDP and AIADMK did not.

On the disproportionate assets case against Jayalaitha in Bangalore, Acharya's resignation on the grounds that he was being pressured by BJP bosses - BJP president Nitin Gadkari has denied this - may see AIADMK question the prosecutor's impartiality. Acharya should produce proof to back his allegations, the party seems to feel.

The trial process may take some months more as former Jayalalithaa associate Sasikala has appealed to the Supreme Court to be allowed to make her submissions in Tamil. Two accused, including Sasikala, are to be examined before concluding arguments begin.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Acharyas-exit-linked-to-BJP-courting-Jayalalithaa/articleshow/11830220.cms