Tamil Nadu   

Does Congress need new chief ?

V. Jayanth

NewsAnalysis Debate continues, high command to decide

CHENNAI: Having made Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president G.K. Vasan a Union Minister of State with independent charge, there is pressure is on the party leadership to appoint a new chief for the State unit.

Though it may not be difficult for Congress president Sonia Gandhi to effect a change at this stage, the problem is that the faction-ridden TNCC will not accept any leader without dissent.

Meteoric rise

For Mr. Vasan it has been a meteoric rise. He took over as president of the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) when his father G.K. Moopanar died.

When it merged with the Congress, he was made an AICC secretary. Then he was named the TNCC president, before being inducted into the Ministry.

When he was appointed as the TNCC chief, Mr. Vasan was considered to be "pro-AIADMK." Today it is, perhaps, the DMK that wants him to continue at least until the Assembly elections.

That seems to be the provocation. The pro-changers want a new president immediately, so that there is a new "centre of power'' in the TNCC, enabling other factions to have a greater role in selection of candidates.

But other groups and the constituents of the Democratic Progressive Alliance wonder if this is the time for change.

Seat sharing talks

"When the alliance is at a crucial stage and seat sharing talks are to begin next week, any change in leadership should be considered after the polls," reasons a DPA leader.

He hastens to add that it is for the Congress to decide and that a change will also not unduly affect the DPA.

Congress functionaries here argue that though the TNCC president does have a say in the final selection of candidates, it is the AICC and its nominees who call the shots.

"Almost every time, faction leaders camp in New Delhi to make changes even after the TNCC chief has finalised the list of candidates with the AICC," points out a former State Congress president.

Caste, gender pressures

At the moment, he says there are caste and gender pressures on the AICC to nominate a new TNCC president. Seniors in the Vasan camp are resigned to a change though they have conveyed their "strong views'' to the high command.

Whoever is named president, it is certainly not going to be easy.

Given the Congress style of functioning, the State leadership or the TNCC will never be vested with enough powers to take major decisions even at the State level.

AICC leaders to meet

A team of AICC leaders will descend on the State to negotiate seat sharing with the DMK and go through the motions of consulting local leaders.

And the various factions will fight with one another to secure their quota of seats within the party's allocation.

Party functionaries and cadres are clear about one thing — unless the process of democratising the party and holding organisational elections is gone through, there can be no change in the Congress fortunes in Tamil Nadu or in the style of functioning of the State unit. Nomination as TNCC president remains a "favour bestowed by the high command," and will be "temporary."

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