Rebels in no mood to oblige leaders

By Our Tamil Nadu Bureau

CHENNAI, OCT. 3. For the third time in as many days, the DMK leadership appealed to partymen to refrain from flouting directives in filing nominations for the local bodies polls.

No party has been free from the rebel menace, but some leaders hope that the issue would be sorted out by October 5, date for withdrawals. But given the mood among the ``deprived'' who gathered from all over the State at the party headquarters in the city, it seems the hope is without foundation.

Close on the DMK ultimatum to its rebel cadres on Tuesday, comes the BJP's. Its secretary, Mr.L.Ganesan, while admitting that the short time that was available to clinch the alliance might have led to some confusion, said BJP men who filed their papers in places which were not allotted to the party should withdraw their nominations. If not, action would be taken against them, he warned.

For the Congress-led coalition, it has been a problem the other way round-while many have filed their nominations, the final list is being readied only now. The AICC observer, Mr. Ramesh Chennithala, who landed here this morning, is a much sought-after man, with each Congress aspirant trying to impress upon him why he or she is a better candidate. Mr. Chennithala has maintained that the list would be decided by the pradesh committee president, and that he is only a facilitator and observer.

While the DMK president, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, has been reminding the cadres of the lofty ideals of the party and the need for realising its larger agenda, at some district levels, the discontent among partymen is only rising, as the ``deserving'' have been overlooked for what is essentially a tough contest.

Recalling an observation he made decades ago in another context, Mr. Karunanidhi said those who thought about how they could contribute to the party were its lifeline; and those who thought how they could derive benefit were akin to cancer, which sought to destroy the party.

Not all district secretaries have had the same clout in deciding on candidates, it is said. This has led to a lot of heartburns. The final approved list reveals that at least a few district secretaries made it clear to the aspirants that their lists might not find favour with the leadership. Though the secretaries requested partymen to remain calm, the cadres in many places, including the city and suburbs, did not take it lying down. In Tiruchi, both the DMK and PMK cadres filed nominations in areas which were not allotted to them.

In Avadi, for instance, two distinct groups have emerged, one which has decided to rebel against the party decision and the other minority group, which has decided to quit politics. While Mr. C. Kanthilal Jain, municipal chairman, who joined the DMK after leaving the TMC, belongs to the latter category, most of the municipal ward members who did not find a place in the new list, have rebelled.

Not just Avadi, much of Tiruvallur district faces similar problems, which some partymen believe, are a result of the lopsided priorities of the district bosses.

The AIADMK too is plagued by the problem of rebel candidates. While in some places the leadership itself asked more than one person to file nominations (as a back-up in case of rejection of the papers of the official candidate), in quite a few areas, there were rival nominees.

The AIADMK general secretary, Ms. Jayalalithaa, recognised the problem at the initial stages of the election process. All rebel candidates were warned of disciplinary action. Indeed, quite a few expulsions are inevitable after the date for withdrawal of nominations. In an impassioned plea to the TMC cadres who are in the fray as rebels, the president, Mr. G. K. Vasan, urged them to withdraw their nominations by October 5.

In a statement, Mr. Vasan said he and the party owned responsibility for the deserving partymen being deprived of an opportunity to contest, as some of the seats had been allotted to the alliance partners. However, these ``losses'' would be made good by providing multifold opportunities in the future.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : 2 Special Force battalions to assist STF
Next     : Confusing alignments in southern districts