Pride & Prejudice

TMC president G K Moopanar loses the race for the prime ministership to I K Gujral. TMC parliamentary party decides to stay out of the government as the partys integrity was being suspected by some United Front constituents.

TMC boycotts UF parliamentary party meeting. TMC sticks to its decision to stay out of the government.

The Prime Minister-designate, Gujral, and the UF convenor, Chandrababu Naidu, accompanied by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and Union industry minister Murasoli Maran, meet Moopanar and appeal for reconsideration of TMC decision.

Pressure mounts on TMC from political parties and industry to join the Gujral government. Former Union minister Dhanushkodi Athithan says TMC has decided to go to the people on the issue.

A high-level delegation comprising Naidu, Karunanidhi and Maran meet Moopanar again later in the night to urge him to reconsider.

West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu talks to Moopanar on the phone, while CPM leader Sitaram Yechuri meets him. A D Raja also meets Moopanar, followed by a delegation from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Gujral appeals in the Lok Sabha to TMC to re-join and later meets Moopanar urging him to reconsider TMCs decision.

CPM general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet meets Moopanar and urges him to reconsider the decision and Moopanar says the issue will be discussed at TMCs executive committee meeting slated to be held on April 27.

The Congress president, Sitaram Kesri, meets Moopanar to persuade TMC to re-join.

Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav says he is confident about TMC re-joining.

The TMC executive committee meeting empowers Moopanar to take a decision on the issue taking into account the national interest, political situation in Tamil Nadu and the future of TMC.

Moopanar continues the process of eliciting opinions and confabulates with partys office bearers.

Moopanar announces that TMC will rejoin the UF government in the national interest.