Peter Alphonse is back in Congress and feels at home. In an interview to E.T.B. Sivapriyan, Alphonse, the most prominent Christian face of Congress in the state, says the decision to quit TMC was because of deviation of ideology by G.K. Vasan.
Q What do you think about TMC’s decision to join DMDK-PWA combine?
It is a wrong decision at the wrong time. I had communicated to the party president Vasan.
Q How do you feel back in the parent party after a gap of 18 months?
I feel very comfortable. I was moved to see AICC chief Sonia Gandhi’s representative Mukul Wasnik and former Union finance minister, P. Chidambaram, at Sathyamurthy Bhawan to take me back into Congress.
Q For the past few days, you have been maintaining that the TMC has deviated from its core values. What are the core values? Where did the deviation take place?
Congress in Tamil Nadu split on three occasions. The first was when Kamaraj formed Congress (O) with focus on Tamil Nadu. In 1996, Moopanar formed TMC. The focus again was on Tamil Nadu. On these two occasions, the two leaders never disconnected themselves from AICC. Though they functioned independently and focused on issues of TN, they respected the Congress national leadership. But, now TMC says they have come a long way from Congress. What will be their stand in Lok Sabha elections? If they say they cannot co-exist with Congress, does it mean they are warming up to BJP? A man born and brought up by Congress will never accept this.
Q Another senior TMC leader, S.R. Balasubramaniam, has accused Vasan of deciding unilaterally on alliance issue. Your views.
SRB has openly said he was not kept in the loop about the decision. (B.S.) Gnanadesikan had said he was totally ignorant of alliance moves. I also did not know anything about it (alliance) till it was announced. So, what else do I say?
Q There is talk you joined Congress only on the promise of a ticket in the elections. Your response.
I was offered and I have thankfully declined the offer.
