Congress' move on DMK was expected

Politics these days has become so predictable that even a layman can tell you the repercussions of a particular incident. This is especially true in case of Congress who has a history of getting back at those who pose a threat to its existence.

The party's latest target or rather victim is  obviously the DMK. Two days after the DMK pulled out of UPA, withdrawing its support making the central government fragile and vulnerable to becoming a minority number, CBI sleuths came knocking at the doors of DMK leader MK Stalin at his Chennai home on Cenotaph road. It was a surprise wake up call for the son of DMK chief M Karunanidhi.
The CBI on Thursday morning conducted a raid at the residences of MK Stalin as well as his political secretary and close associate, Raja Shankar. The CBI is reportedly acting on a complaint lodged by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence for evading customs duty worth Rs 20 crore on an imported luxury car.
Stalin's family however, claim that the papers are clear and are willing to fight a legal battle over the issue.

Why now?
The CBI claims it's a routine crackdown on those evading duty on imported cars. However, the DMK supporters, including their leader Stalin claim the raid is anything but coincidence.
Stalin says the very fact that this happened only two days after out party withdrew its support to the Congress-led UPA-2 at the Central leadership clearly reflects what the Congress is up to.
Eyebrows are raised as to why the Congress chose to ignore the duty evasion issue till now.
DMK leader TR Baalu termed it a clear case of political vendetta.
This isn't the first time the Congress has resorted to such dirty tricks. It's worth mentioning here that all the party has clearly shown that anything who goes against it will not be spared. The party has a history of such incidents where they victimised those who walked out on them.
Look back and one can find several examples—Mayawati, Mulayam Singh too suffered the same fate when they threatened to pull out. A classic case from our own state is that of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of late chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy. When the YSRCP president defied Congress to go ahead with his odharpu yatra. The Congress played its usual game of venegeance. The party felt more threatened with the rising popularity of Jagan's party. Unable to digest the fact, Congress got the houses of Jagan raided with the help of CBI just a day before his bail petition was to come up for hearing before the Andhra Pradesh High Court. This is not just what the family claims. A senior leader from the DMK too echoed the same sentiment. Senior DMK leader, Elangovan said that the CBI is directly under the control of the Congress and must be named Congress Bureau of Investigation. The leader told a TV news channel, "The raids at a political leader's house couldn't have happened without the knowledge of the Prime Minister. The PM is very much aware of what's happening here and without his consent the CBI wouldn't dare such a step. This is Congress' way of taking a revenge against us for pulling out of UPA."
The Congress' pressure tactics are there for everyone to see. Soon as the DMK pulled out of UPA, political circle was abuzz with rumours that Stalin was the mastermind of DMK's sudden move. This news, insiders say, prompted the Central leadership to resort to such pressure strategy.
However, the DMK workers are more adamant than ever now. Post raids at their leader's house, they are not willing to sit down and crib.
Elangovan said, "We will not let the budget session happen today. The raids and the issue of Tamil people in Sri Lanka is utmost priority for us. We will take up several issues today during the session and ensure that we stall the budget proceedings."
The CBI claims it was there to search for some crucial documents. However, family members say the investigating agency couldn't find a thing at their place. Soon as news spread about the 7 am raid at Stalin's house, DMK workers in large numbers gathered near their leader's house to express solidarity with Stalin. The party workers are determined to get more aggressive on the Tamils issue and also condemn Congress' dirty games in a big way.
All eyes are on Congress now as their secret is out in the open. People are wondering what it's next move would be. There's no fun in such obvious moves at all, say many. Perhaps it's time for Congress members to watch some good Bollywood movies to get ideas for their next move.
-Reshmi@Sakshipost