Sunday, Dec 15, 2002
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Tamil Nadu
By Radha Venkatesan
While the former TNCC president, M.P. Subramaniam, who was appointed to the political affairs committee has shot off a resignation letter to the high command, several seniors are also going hotfoot to Chennai with intent to quit their posts if they are denied their "due". In a major organisational revamp last month after the reunion of the Tamil Maanila Congress with the parent party, the Congress high command doled out over 400 posts to please all factions. Still, disgruntlement rules high, especially among office-bearers of the defunct TMC. "I have refused to accept the PAC membership. I am very dissatisfied," declares Mr. Subramaniam, who remained in the Congress even after the major split in 1996. Though he refuses to elaborate on his "dissatisfaction", his being left out of the executive committee, when all other former TNCC presidents have been accommodated in the body, appears to have hurt him. However, as his clout with the cadres is far too limited, the resignation will not set off dissent. But the raging resentment among the former TMC seniors, who have been denied district presidentship and handed insignificant posts, is likely to hurt the prospects of the Congress, which wants to return to power in the State after over 35 years. Especially the appointment of unknown faces at the helm of district units and the resultant "humiliation" suffered by the seniors, when the party has to gear itself for the parliamentary elections less than two years away, will have a demoralising effect on the erstwhile TMC men, say party insiders. While only 22 former TMC men were made district presidents, supporters of the State Congress working president, E.V.K.S. Elangovan, walked away with a major chunk of the posts in the 54 district units. Particularly, the erstwhile TMC functionaries are peeved at their leader, G.K. Vasan, and his acolyte and new TNCC president, S. Balakrishnan, "giving them a raw deal". Says a former TMC district president, who is now only a special invitee to the State Congress committee: "We feel badly let down. Mr. Vasan got AICC secretaryship for himself and TNCC leadership for Mr. Balakrishnan, but has left us in the lurch". When the "sidelined" seniors complained to the two leaders, Mr. Vasan and Mr. Balakrishnan were said to have appealed to them to remain patient. "But, how can we remain quiet when greenhorns walk away with important posts? This is very humiliating," rues the former TMC district leader. "I will remain in the party, but will resign the post." Another senior in Dharmapuri district also claims that he would "not accept" the "insignificant post" given to him. "How will the party grow if they ignore experienced men," he asks.
Quota policy
The Congress high command's faction-quota policy of allotting a certain number of district units to each faction leader, instead of rewarding the "genuine workers", appears the main cause for resentment. For instance, in Dharmapuri, the former TNCC president, K.V. Thangabalu's supporter and virtual political novice, has been nominated district president, much to the ire of seasoned party activists there. In the neighbouring Salem district, the family of Ramasamy Udayar, only living member of the TNCC Charitable Trust, which controls property worth over Rs. 100 crores in Chennai, has been given three posts, while the former district TMC presidents have been dumped. Even the former TMC seniors, who have been nominated general secretaries and vice-presidents, feel that they secured the posts through their influence and not at the instance of Mr.Vasan. If anything, the revamp appears alienating the TMC camp from their one-time leader, Mr.Vasan, and threatening to trigger squabbles at tomorrow's meeting. Meanwhile, Mr. Elangovan told the media here that the meeting would focus on the political developments in Tamil Nadu and the "anti-people" measures of the AIADMK Government.
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