In what could further widen the rift between supporters of Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s son Karthi Chidambaram and Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan, former State Youth Congress chief M Yuvaraja has allegedly been forced to quit as trustee of the Tuticorin Port Trust. He was appointed trustee of the port, managed directly by Vasan’s Ministry, only in the first week of June.
A known Vasan loyalist, Yuvaraja was earlier this year asked to resign from the post of Tamil Nadu Youth Congress president by the party high command. At that time it was alleged that he was asked to go after Karthi’s supporters informed the high command that a Youth Congress woman functionary in Kancheepuram, who was linked to Yuvaraja, had committed suicide.
According to sources, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was unhappy that Yuvaraja, against whom disciplinary proceedings were initiated, was rehabilitated in the Port Trust. “Though Vasan had tried to defend his choice, Gandhi was not impressed, forcing Yuvaraja to submit his resignation on June 13,” a source said. Vasan’s supporters allege this incident too was the fallout of the internal rivalry.
However, Yuvaraja strongly denied that he was pressured to quit as trustee at the Tuticorin Port Trust. “Someone had sent unsubstantiated complaints against me to the party leadership. Since I wanted to avoid needless controversy, I had resigned on my own,” he claimed.