Cong leaders hopeful of last-minute resolution

"They (DMK) are our ally... It is not over... We are definitely hopeful," a senior Congress leader and Union minister said when asked whether the alliance with DMK has come to an end.

The remark came after two rounds of talks DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran had with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee after failure to reach a breakthrough during a meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi last night.

The minister, who declined to be identified, dismissed suggestions that Congress was looking at doing business with AIADMK.

It was the same refrain at the AICC briefing with party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan snapping, "I am not aware of any such channel", when asked whether Congress has been talking to AIADMK through back channels.

Natarajan, however, remained tightlipped on the developments saying the party will make an announcement in this regard as soon as they will have anything to share.

She gave the same answer in response to repeated questions on the fate of the alliance.
DMK MP Kanimozhi also expressed the hope that the deadlock will be resolved soon.

"We have been allies for a very long time and I hope things will settle," she told reporters inside Parliament Complex here.

When asked whether the alliance will break, she said, "I cannot answer hypothetical questions."