Chennai: Former Union minister Chidambaram has sent peace envoys to bury the hatchet with state Congress president E.V.K.S. Elangovan. A delegation of Chidambaram supporters led by party ex-MLA K.R. Ramasamy is learnt to have met Elangovan and brokered peace at the state party headquarters, Satyamurthy Bhavan, on April 17. The team discussed the unending acrimony between him (Elangovan) and their factional lord, a close aide of Chidambaram told Deccan Chronicle.
“PC picked the four-time MLA (K.R. Ramasamy) to lead the delegation because he is a senior party member whom Elangovan will listen to,” the aide reasoned. “We were told to ask the TNCC president why he was indulging in personal attacks on both the Chidambarams? We did that. Elangovan’s response was not disappointing as some feared,” a member of the delegation said, adding that Ramasamy also cautioned spokesperson Gopanna (in Elangovan’s presence) to stop hitting out at the Chidambarams in TV talk shows. Though a tad too early, the peace-making attempt appears to have already evoked some affirmative response from Elangovan who did not simply give a patient hearing to the delegation but also invited Chidambaram senior for Tuesday’s state executive committee over phone a day after the delegation met him.
When asked, Elangovan said, “They said we could work in tandem. I agreed. After all, we are members of one party led by Sonia and Rahul. I invited Chidambaram over phone though I had already sent a postal invite for tomorrow’s meeting.” On not being invited to the Vellore meet, he said, “I am not aware of such a meeting.”
Not surprisingly, there were a few skeptic Chidambaram loyalists who were not so enthused by the newfound bonhomie. PC has not ‘sanctioned’ an invitation to E.V.K.S. for the Wallajah (Vellore) rally thus far. “Perhaps, he is building a case for the future. When he approaches the AICC to reprimand Elangovan later, the high command, at the outset, will ask PC why he had not explored the possibilities of ironing out the differences with the PCC president amicably. This offer of peace might help convince the national leadership then,” said another PC confidant.
