Sonia appoints five trustees

By Radha Venkatesan

CHENNAI, SEPT. 2. In a swift move, the Congress today virtually seized control of the TNCC Trust from the TMC, by appointing five new trustees including the TNCC president, Mr. E.V.K.S. Elangovan.

The appointment assumes significance as the Trust holds two crucial multi-crore properties in Chennai-the 20 ground Sathyamurthy Bhavan, which is at present the TMC headquarters, and the Congress grounds at Teynampet, spanning 181 grounds worth over Rs. 100 crores.

Just three days after the TMC leader and a key trustee, G.K. Moopanar, passed away, the Congress has swung into action to seize the Trust, which was in TMC's control ever since it was formed in April 1996.

A TNCC press release here said the Congress president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, has appointed five trustees to the eight- member Trust- Mr. Elangovan, Mrs. D. Yasodha, Congress Legislature Party leader, Mr. Sudarsana Natchiappan, MP, and former Union Ministers, Mr. M. Arunachalam and Ms. Jayanthi Natarajan.

Of the five, only Ms. Jayanthi Natarajan is from the TMC. However, she enjoys a close rapport with the Congress leadership and her appointment has only caused heartburn in the TMC.

After the death of C. Subramaniam (in November last year) and the Trust chairman P. Ramachandran (in May this year), Moopanar and Mr. N. Ramasamy Udayar, senior TMC leader, were managing the Trust.

As the Trust by-laws stipulated that it should comprise a minimum of three, the TRC president, Mr. Vazhapadi K. Ramamurthy, had moved the Madras High Court questioning the authority of Moopanar over the Trust.

While Congress leaders claim that the new nominations were made only in view of the court case, TMC functionaries close to the new party leadership, sense an attempt on the part of the Congress to force a merger using the Trust as a form of pressure.

In the past too, the former TNCC presidents, Mr. Kumari Ananthan, and Mr. Tindivanam K. Ramamurthy, had initiated steps to take over the Trust from the TMC, but the Congress high command out of respect and goodwill for Moopanar, had spiked the moves.

Mr.Udayar told The Hindu that he had not been informed about the new nominees to the Trust. ``I am consulting lawyers and the TMC leaders on the future course of action'', he said.

However, TMC sources said the party had entered into a lease agreement for a period of five years for occupation of the sprawling Sathyamurthy Bhavan in the heart of Chennai, and there was no need to vacate the premises. The Congress too is unlikely to ask the TMC to move out of Sathyamurthy Bhavan, as it was more keen on a merger than the properties.

In fact, the Congress high command has left two vacancies in the Trust unfilled to rope in the newly-elected TMC president, Mr. G.K. Vasan, son of Moopanar, and one other nominee in case of a merger.

The TMC is planning to construct a memorial for Moopanar on the Congress grounds where he was cremated. Meanwhile, true to Congress style, the TNCC seniors, who have been left out of the Trust, have begun their murmurs of protest. The appointments, they say, would not stand legal scrutiny as the bylaws clearly state that only the 21-member working committee of the TNCC can appoint them.

But the Trust Secretary, Mr. Varadarajulu, maintained that the appointments were legally valid since the elected Congress president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi had effected them.

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