CHENNAI: Knives are again out in the faction-ridden Tamil Nadu unit of Congress despite party president-in-waiting Rahul Gandhi calling for unity.The first thrust came from AICC spokesperson and actor Khushbu who met Rahul last week and complained about not being given due importance in the party affairs in Tamil Nadu. She pressed him to replace TNCC president S Thirunavukkarasar to rejuvenate the party.
Thirunavukkarasar then met Rahul after which his predecessor EVKS Elangovan got to meet the party vice-president. Khushbu was inducted into the party by Elangovan.
Curiously, Elangovan is no longer as shrill as he once was against Thirunavukkarasar, but party insiders doubt there is a thaw in their mutual relationship. “Recently, EVKS Elangovan had called on former Union minister P Chidambaram and stressed the need to shunt Thirunavukkarasar out. So don’t go by appearances,” a senior leader said.
Elangovan seems to be lying low for now, preparing to go for the kill at a time of his choosing.
Despite the simmering discontent against Thirunavukkarasar, sections in the party believe he will not be in trouble for now. Given the buzz among P Chidambaram loyalists about his possible elevation as AICC vice-president when Rahul takes over as president, his return to State politics would be remote. If that happens, his supporters could back Thirunavukkarasar.
“We won’t have any problems with Thirunavukkarasar if our leader P Chidambaram does not return to active State politics,” ‘Karate’ Thiyagarajan, a loyalist of Chidambaram, told Express.
It could always, however, be argued that Chidambaram, if he becomes the vice president, would want to keep the Tamil Nadu unit under his thumb.
Anyway, a section of party leaders are okay with Thirunavukkarasar as he is not promoting factionalism. However, others question his leadership. “We need vibrant leadership. The PCC chief should enthuse and inspire the cadre,” a veteran Congress leader felt.
For his part, Thirunavukk-arasar appears unperturbed. He has been functioning in a cordial manner with cooperation from functionaries. “After 20 years, the party general council meeting was held. It is no mean achievement. We have also successfully enrolled about 22 lakh members in the party,” he told Express.
Buzz on PC as AICC veepee
Loyalists of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram claim he could be elevated as All India Congress vice-president when Rahul Gandhi takes over as party president, in which case they would let Thirunavukkarasar breathe easy