Tamil Nadu unit of the Congress, the third largest party in terms of votes gathered by it in the 2016 Assembly election, is in a state of quandary following the failure of the party’s High Command to appoint a new president to lead the Pradesh Congress Committee. Though it has been more than two months since EVKS Elangovan, the livewire TNCC president was removed, the party’s national leadership has not yet found a replacement for him. “There is no one to lead the party in Tamil Nadu and the morale of the Congress cadre is at its lowest ebb,” said a party senior who also revealed that office staff in the State headquarters has not been paid their salaries.
The removal of Elangovan from the party’s top office in Tamil Nadu has evoked wide condemnation as the Congress has done reasonably well in the 2016 Assembly election by winning 8 seats and polling 6.4 per cent of the popular votes. This was in stark contrast to the party’s performance in 2011 Assembly election when it had to content with just five seats out of the 60 seats it contested under KV Thangabalu’s presidency. The Congress was allocated just 40 seats in the 2016 Assembly election by the leader of the alliance, the DMK.
The Congress was the party which ruled Tamil Nadu uninterrupted for two decades till 1967 when it was ousted from power for the first time by the DMK. Since then the Congress has been riding piggyback either with the DMK or the AIADMK for its survival in the State. “Though we have eight members in the assembly, as on now, the performance of the legislature party is pathetic as they do not have anyone to give direction and guidance,” Elangovan told The Pioneer.
In the just concluded budget session of the legislative assembly, the Congress MlAs were seen following the actions of the DMK which played the role of a pied piper. A senior party leader said that the Congress MlAs performed like a bunch of school boys. “The local body election could take place any moment from now. The Congress is seen as a directionless and rudderless organisation in this crucial time,” said Elangovan, a person who is known for speaking his mind loud and clear.
The achievement made by the Congress in the assembly election assumes significance because of the acute group rivalry in the party. It is an open secret that there are as many as two dozen groups and sub-groups in Tamil Nadu Cogress. Though the names of P Chidambaram, former Finance Minister who is also described as the most intelligent Congressman from South India and S Thirunavakkarassar, a leader who has served many political parties including the BJP, were mentioned as the front runners for the post of TNCC president, formal orders are yet to be served by the Congress High Command.
Many party seniors, who spoke to this newspaper, said Chidambaram would be the ideal person to lead TNCC at this juncture. “He has experience and the capability to handle the different groups. Moreover, his son Karti Chidambaram is also capable of handling any kind of dissidence which may arise against his father,” said a senior Congress leader.