CHENNAI: Desperate attempts to ink a deal with the ruling AIADMK; the agonising wait for it to materialise; the despair that followed; and the relief on managing to find a shelter with the DMDK-PWA. The phases that the two-year-old Tamil Maanila Congress has gone through in the past few days stand in stark contrast to its earlier avatar two decades ago.
The stories of the launch themselves are quite different. It was an outburst against the outgoing prime minister P V Narasimha Rao-led national leadership’s decision to align with the AIADMK that led to the split in Congress in 1996 — a rebellion led by the senior and most influential leader in Tamil Nadu unit, G K Moopanar.
But when G K Vasan revived the party two Novembers ago, it was over a quarrel from within, primarily with former union minister P Chidambaram, who incidentally was one of the key leaders with Moopanar in the TMC of vintage.
Moopanar was perhaps last of the strong leaders of the national party in the very Dravidian politics of Tamil Nadu. He was instrumental in managing the merger and management of the then splinters - Congress (O) and Congress (I) — after the passing away of legendary leader K Kamaraj. In 1989, he was the leader and the chief ministerial candidate of the Third Front, and ended up becoming the opposition leader, not a small feat considering the space occupied by the two Dravidian parties.
“Moopanar managed to gain the confidence of the high command and strengthened the party base in Tamil Nadu. After that, his growth within the party and the State was swift. Even in the years between 1976 and 1996 when the Congress’ support was crucial for the parties here, he preferred playing the role of a kingmaker rather than taking up ministerial positions,” says former MP from TMC, Ram Babu.
In contrast, Vasan was more interested in being part of the Centre, notes former union minister ‘Dhanushkodi’ R Adityan, who has written a book on Moopanar’s life. “Vasan occupied key positions at the State and national committees of the party, but was unable to repeat his father’s success,” he adds.
Five years later, ahead of the 2001 Assembly election, Moopanar took a u-turn and decided to join the AIADMK-led alliance. The reason he cited was DMK’s decision to join the BJP-led NDA, which was heresy for the ardent Congress man. Even though he was the most important leader in the party, he still consulted the TMC top brass and announced the decision only after convincing a good majority of them. But Vasan rejected advise of his seniors, while reviving the party, Adityan added.
Such was Moopanar’s clout that the TMC managed to prise a whopping 45 seats from even the tight-fisted AIADMK during the seat-sharing talks in 2001. In its present avatar, Vasan from the onset had been keen on aligning with the AIADMK, but failed to convince the regional party’s leadership that TMC was important enough to be extended concessions.
Defending Vasan, MP Ram Babu argues that it is not possible to make a straightforward comparison between the father and son. The assassination of two of the most important Congress leaders — Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv — helped Moopanar and the party to gain support among the masses.
In comparison, the Congress lost its reputation during UPA-II in the wake of corruption cases like the 2G spectrum allocation and coal scams to name a few.
There was not much to cheer for party members here in the Dravidian heartland, he points out. Also, afterMoopanar’s death in 2001, other Congress leaders from the State, including Chidambaram and presentTNCC president E V K S Elangovan, managed to gain prominence within the party, not leaving muchspace for Vasan to repeat his father’s exploits, he adds.
Moopanar Shunned Nation’s Top Job Offer
Legend has it that Moopanar even shunned the Prime Minister’s post after the fall of H D Deva Gowda government. TN politics was the world for this leader from the Cauvery delta. He refused to trade his influence here for the top job. Vasan was more interested in being part of the Centre, notes former Union minister ‘Dhanushkodi’ R Adityan. “Vasan occupied key positions at the State and national committees of the party, but was unable to repeat his father’s success,” he adds
Emergence of Chidambaram, EVKS Left No Space for Vasan
The Congress lost its reputation during UPA-II in the wake of corruption cases like the 2G spectrum allocation scam and coal scam to name a few. There was not much to cheer for party members here in the Dravidian heartland, he pointed out. Also, after Moopanar’s death in 2001, other Congress leaders from the State, including Chidambaram and present president E V K S Elangovan, managed to gain prominence within the party, not leaving much space for Vasan