Barely a few days after taking over the reins of the party, newly appointed state Congress president E.V.K.S. Elangovan is facing the difficult task of holding the flock together and demonstrating his loyalty to the AICC without affecting his friendship with G.K.Vasan who split from the Congress and floated a new party on Monday.
In a freewheeling interview with K. Karthikeyan, Elangovan dismisses the split as an “individual’s exit” and attributes TMC’s past success to widespread anti-Jayalalithaa mood more than Moopanar’s popularity.
Q) Will Vasan’s exit and his new party have an impact on Tamil Nadu Congress? If yes, what is your damage control plan?
A) It will not affect Tamil Nadu Congress. Even great leaders like Periyar and Rajagopalachari had quit Congress. But nothing happened to the party. It is a people’s party. Nothing will happen if individuals (read Vasan) quit the party.
Q) You had appealed to Vasan to reconsider the decision and return to Congress? What prompted you to do that even while your national leadership was posturing tough?
A) When I had some problem in the family after my father’s death, only one person had supported me. It was Moopanar. So I have the duty to see to that he (Vasan) comes out with flying colours. But, Vasan disappointed me.
Q) AICC has announced the expulsion of Vasan, your appeal notwithstanding. Some seniors like Peter Alphonse and S.R. Balasubramonian have also joined Vasan...
A) Yes. I learnt about his expulsion. The national leadership has taken an action about which I do not want to comment. But no action has been taken against them (other seniors TNCC leaders with Vasan).
Q) Do you think the situation is conducive for the revival of Tamil Maanila Congress? What do you think will be the future of Vasan’s new party?
A) Tamil Maanila Congress had a Rajinikanth to support then. Also, the then Congress chief Narasimha Rao took a decision against the wishes of Tamil Nadu people and majority Congressmen in the state.
The public mood was totally against AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa then. But, Rao took a decision for his own interest and decided to ally with Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK.
That is why most leaders left Congress and supported Moopanar’s TMC.
The situation is totally different now. There is no valid reason for Vasan to quit and start a new party.
Q) While announcing the launch of his new party, Vasan repeatedly accused AICC of undermining Kamarajar, whose vision, he claimed, is the only way to revive the Congress in Tamil Nadu? What do you think about it?
A) I do not think that’s a valid reason. Both AICC and TNCC have always been focussing on Kamaraj. We have been doing it all along and will continue to follow Kamaraj’s path in the future.
Also, there was no objection from AICC to carrying pictures of Kamaraj or Moopanar in the membership cards when K.V. Thangkabalu and I were state party presidents. The national leadership treats Kamaraj as national leader not just regional.
Q) Many Vasan supporters including immediate past president B.S.Gnanadesikan have questioned the competence of AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi and attributed the party’s poor showing in the recent Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu to his flawed style of politicking? Your response?
A) Frankly speaking, Ganandesikan has clearly stated that he has high regards for Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Though Gnanadesikan supports Vasan, I have never seen him utter a word bad about Rahul Gandhi.
