State Congress president, Tindivanam Ramamurthi, was quoted saying that Jayalalitha could not reach the venue as she was swarmed by people enroute. But he knew that the AIADMK supremo did not stir out of her Poes Garden residence till 3.30 pm even though the joint meeting was scheduled for 4 pm. The travelling time, by road, from Chennai to Villupuram is three hours.

The inability of the Congress from even airing their unhappiness stems from the fact that they had little options left on date. The tie-up with AIADMK was a consciousdecision taken with the objective of bagging a few seats. It was not that Congressmen were not aware of Jayalalitha's temperament but they probably did not expect to have a feel of it so soon. Having turned down many attempts made by Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) to form an anti-Dravidian Third Front, Congress, in the state, is entirely at the mercy of Jayalalitha. The AIADMK leader knows this and hence these tantrums.

Political observers feel that Congress had lost a very good opportunity of forming a Third Front with TMC and Dalit parties, which, in the current elections could have become a force to reckon with. Breaking the alliance with AIADMK now, would mean that Congress-Front would get no seats at all from Tamil Nadu. With Sharad Pawar breaking away in Maharashtra and opinion polls showing a less than 100 seats tally for Congress, a few seats from Tamil Nadu would bolster the party's final outcome. Jayalalitha did send couple of her party office-bearers to meet Sonia, when she touched Chennai enrouteto Nellore in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. But she did not go to clear the air even though she was very much in town.

Opposition parties are quick to rub salt in the Congress' wounds. TMC has said that Congress was warned by them that these sort of events would happen. Some politicians are using this issue as yet another evidence of Congress leader's lack of experience. Sonia Gandhi, it appears, has no choice but to put up with this and many such instances in future for the sake of a few seats.