New Delhi - India's government was pushed to the brink of collapse yesterday as a coalition partner awaited word from the main opposition party to forge a new alliance.
Tension mounted as the mercurial leader of the regional All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the second largest bloc in the ruling coalition, plotted a parliamentary vote of confidence in the government from her New Delhi hotel suite.
On her way to the capital from the southern city of Madras on Monday, movie actress-turned-politician Ms Jayaram Jayalalitha said the AIADMK's break from the coalition was now inevitable. She also announced that she would hold talks with Ms Sonia Gandhi, president of the main opposition Congress party, during her stay in the capital.