The spectrum scam that led to the exit of telecom minister A Raja from the Union Cabinet will now be followed by some ?happy family? photo-ops. The occasion: chemicals and fertiliser minister MK Alagiri?s son, Durai Dayanidhi?s wedding in Madurai to Anusha, daughter of advocate PS Seetharaman.
In a signal that the Congress was keen to put the bitterness of the Raja episode behind it, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and home minister P Chidambaram will be in attendance. Mukherjee will be attending, sources say, ostensibly to make up for the absence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. ?Earlier only Chidambaram, shipping minister GK Vasan, AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu and health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi were to attend,? said a top source in the government. Alagiri had personally extended the invitation to senior members of the Congress and the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The PM would not be attending the wedding.
There are varying interpretations of the line-up of attendees, with some suggesting that Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?s proposed absence spelt doom for the alliance in Tamil Nadu. Others see the deputing of Mukherjee as a sure sign that the Congress is holding fast to its southern ally.
The alliance waters have been muddied in recent days and relations are strained between the two parties. The open offer by AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa to provide support to the UPA government in case the DMK withdrew support after Raja?s recall, also created a flutter.