A government function got up here on Wednesday to rename the Ennore port after Congress leader K. Kamaraj converted into a platform to showcase the strength of the Union Shipping Minister G.K. Vasan with speaker after speaker asking him to lead the Congress to fulfil the objective of ‘restoring Kamaraj rule’ in State.
Within minutes of the renaming, Mr. Vasan asked Congress leaders assembled there to join him on the dais.
Though he asked them to confine their speech to Kamaraj rule since it was a government function, many leaders went beyond their brief.
Party MLA S.Vijayadharani said some parties were trying to take credit for schemes pioneered by Kamaraj.
The Congress was the only party that could boast of leaders, and in Mr. Vasan it had a leader who could lead the party in the State, she said amid the applause and whistles from the audience.
With the mood of the meeting changing, Mr. Vasan started gesturing to some people in the audience raising slogans to remain silent and be seated.
Some of the leaders, including N.S.V. Chittan, former MLA Vasanth Kumar, sitting MLA N.R. Rangarajan and former MP A.G.S. Rambabu highlighted the initiatives of Kamaraj and his qualities.
While former MLA C. Gnanasekaran called for ignoring the DMDK, with whom Congress sought an alliance, former Puducherry Minister M. Kandasamy cited the party's alliance in the past with the Dravidian parties, the DMK and the AIADMK, as reason for its present state.
“Why are we going after them,” he asked, adding that Mr. Vasan must strive to establish ‘Kamaraj’ rule. Uma Maheswari and party MLA John Jacob voiced similar views.
Kancheepuram MP P.Viswanathan said Kamaraj strove for the uplift of Dailts and added that the function gauged the pulse of the people.
Noting that the party was going through testing times and everyone needed to stay united, former MP Peter Alphonse recalled how G.K.Moopanar, father of Mr.Vasan, got a house for Rs.1.10 lakh for Kamaraj as the Congress leader did not own any property.
The cost of land in those days was Rs.3,000 for a ground in T.Nagar and Anna Nagar.
Former TNCC president EVKS Elangovan said it was neither a government nor party function but an event for the people of Tamil Nadu. TNCC president B.S.Gnanadesikan also spoke.