Dissidents declare open revolt

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JAN. 12. Barely a couple of days after the re-nomination of Mr.E.V.K.S.Elangovan as the TNCC (I) president, the State Congress (I) dissidents today declared an open revolt against his leadership and asserted that they were ``the real Congress in Tamil Nadu''.

On the pretext of celebrating the coming Pongal festival, the dissidents led by former TNCC (I) presidents, Mr.K.V.Thangabalu and Mr.Tindivanam K.Ramamurthy met in a City hotel and demanded the removal of Mr.Elangovan, who ``is a liability to the party in the coming Assembly elections''.

The dissidents though described the meeting as ``a feast for Pongal festival'', used the occasion to launch a no- holds-barred tirade against Mr.Elangovan, in the full glare of the media. ``The minimum qualification for a TNCC (I) president is that he should be a human being, should be humble, take the partymen along with him and treat the alliance party leaders with respect,'' Mr.Thangabalu, who now spearheads the ``oust-Elangovan- campaign'' said.

Over 50 dissidents including the former Union Minister, Mr.M.Arunachalam, the treasurer, Mr. V.Dandayuthapani, the State youth congress president, Mr.C.D.Meyyappan, the former MP, Mr.S.Singaravadivelu, besides the TMC MLA, Mr.R.R.Sekaran took part in the ``Pongal banquet''.

Later, talking to the media, Mr.Thangabalu and Mr.Ramamurthy said that Mr.Elangovan had no authority to make any statements on the issue of electoral alliance or power-sharing. ``It is for the AICC (I) and not for an individual to decide,'' they declared.

They also charged that Mr.Elangovan had not convened a single meeting of the DCCs or the executive committee since his appointment in May last year.

`It is shameful that for the last seven or eight months not a single office-bearers' meeting was convened...We will accept anyone except Mr.Elangovan as the TNCC (I) president`` Mr.Thangabalu said.

Though the party high command had announced that Mr.Elangovan would continue as the TNCC (I) president, ''we are still hopeful that the views of the majority of the Congressmen will be heard and Congress will be revitalised in Tamil Nadu.`` The PCC (I) members had only authorised Mrs.Sonia Gandhi to ''appoint a new leader for the TNCC (I)`` and not for the continuance of Mr.Elangovan, he said.

As most of the present DCC presidents and the State office- bearers belong to the Thangabalu camp, the former TNCC (I) president declared that he would not accept any change of office- bearers without the conduct of organisational elections.

However, for a change, the rebel leaders, this time have decided not to rush to Delhi demanding Mr.Elangovan's ouster and instead, would hold meetings and conferences in the districts to show their strength.``We will go to the districts, hold meetings and conferences to strengthen the party'', Mr.Ramamurthy and Mr.Thangabalu declared.

Earlier, the former Union Minister and a key aspirant for the TNCC (I) presidentship, Mr.Arunachalam who addressed the dissidents, said if only they had held public meetings in all the districts in the past few months and mobilised support, the AICC (I) announcement on TNCC (I) presidentship would have ``gone in our favour``.

Reacting to the dissidents' meeting , Mr.Elangovan said that he would inform the party high command about their ''statements``. However, their activities would not affect the electoral prospects of the party as ''people vote for the Congress (I) and Mrs.Sonia Gandhi and not for these individuals``, he said.

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Section  : Southern States
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