Vasan crony eager for Congress ghar wapsi

Tamil Maanila Congress president too sends out signals for rapprochement, but chances of reunion appear bleak

NEW DELHI: It’s nearly two months now, but the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee is yet to get a chief after EVKS Elangovan put in his papers. There are about four to five leaders, including a veteran like Sudarshana Natchiappan in the race for the top slot.

But even as this train on the main line chugs along without a definite destination, the spicier story is developing on the sidelines. Former TNCC president Gnanadesikan, who had walked over to the Tamil Manila Congress with dissenter-in-chief G K Vasan, is eager to make a ghar wapsi to the Congress.

The party, both at the local level and in Delhi, seems well disposed towards the idea. But then there are plaintive signals for a rapprochement coming from Vasan as well.

G K Moopanar’s son had made a dramatic exit from his parent party but came an absolute cropper in the recent Assembly polls. Now he seems keen to see his reincarnated TMC have at least a tie-up with the Congress for the upcoming Tamil Nadu panchayat polls.

But party leaders at both ends say that he has completely burnt his boats with the leadership and chance of a reunion is bleak.

This despite the fact that in Delhi, besides cosying up to Left leaders and meeting the President, he has been sending get-well-soon messages to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was recently recuperating in hospital. People here are yet to forget the fact that his lack of chemistry with Rahul Gandhi was one of the triggers for his exit.

And at the State level leaders do not want to countenance another heavy weight muddying the waters, when there’s already a scramble for the top slot. The race is so open that some are even mentioning P Chidambaram as an outside possibility though most concede that he has too much stature (and baggage) to be a serious contender for a State unit president.

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The New Indian Express
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