CHENNAI/PUDUCHERRY: Will rebel Congress leader G K Vasan be able to call his new party the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC)? Not
easy, since the TMC is still alive in Puducherry, at least in letter if not in spirit. It continues to be registered with the Election Commission of India.
According to Thulasidasan, president of TMC Puducherry unit till 2009, the party is still in the records of the Election
Commission. “I have been receiving all communications with regard to TMC time to time from the EC,” Thulasidasan, who later founded the Puducherry Vanniyar Kudumba Orunginaippu Iyakkam, said.
He explained that when Vasan returned to the Congress in 2002, Theni Jayakumar continued to run the TMC as its president in Pondicherry. But in 2006, Jayakumar too joined the Congress, making him (Thulasidasan) the party’s chief in the Union Territory. In 2009, Jayakumar was accused by some Congressmen of running the TMC by proxy.
Thulasidasan later got a letter from Jayakumar for submission to the Election Commission stating that the TMC was dissolved. “It seems the letter was not submitted to the Commission and as a result, I am still receiving communication from the EC. Of course, I never replied to them,” Thulasidasan said.
He added that no one in the Vasan camp had contacted him on this issue. On whether he would help in the revival of the TMC, Thulasidasan said, “I will take a decision that would not affect the image of my present movement, the Vanniyar Kudumba Orunginaippu Iyakkam.”
However, when contacted, former TNCC vice-president C Gnanasekaran, a Vasan supporter, said, “We will surely get the name ‘TMC’ back for us. When the party was merged with the Congress in 2002, a letter was given to the Election Commission signed by MLAs and MPs informing the EC about the merger. But the Commission wanted all the office-bearers of the TMC too to sign the letter and the exercise remained inconclusive. As such, anytime we can restore the name for us... we will surely get it.” But the need will not arise if Vasan chooses a new name and symbol for his party.