Chennai, Dec. 9 :    Chennai, Dec. 9:  Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) chief G.K. Moopanar today hinted for the first time that he is inclined towards a merger with the Congress. After offering prayers at a temple as part of Sonia Gandhi?s 53rd birthday celebrations, Moopanar told reporters here that he would be glad if a merger comes about. The celebrations, he hoped, would pave the way for a reunion in the not-too-distant future. Moopanar?s offer, significantly, comes after the TMC?s rout in the recent Lok Sabha elections and a thaw in his relationship with ADMK chief Jayalalitha. In another function organised by the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, Opposition leader in the state legislature and TMC leader S. Balakrishnan shared the dais with the ADMK. Also present were leaders of the Dalit Panthers of India and the Indian National League. While it looked as if the TMC and the Dalit Panthers were entering the ADMK-led alliance, state Congress president and a vocal critic of Moopanar, D. Ramamurthy, was all praise for the TMC. Dubbing Balakrishnan as the shadow chief minister of the state, Ramamurthy said, ?We have all come together to save Tamil Nadu.? There are also reports that two emissaries of Sonia Gandhi are calling on Moopanar to discuss proposals for putting up an alternative government in Pondicherry. The TMC is in an uneasy coalition with the DMK in Pondicherry and is desperate to end it.