The internal strife within the Pradesh Congress Committee continued to spill into the open despite the formation of a core committee by the All India Congress Committee.
Toeing a different line from that of the Puducherry PCC leadership, a section of party leaders led by former Minister M. Kandasamy convened a meeting at a private hall on Sunday ostensibly to explain to party workers on the summons issued by Enforcement Directorate to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party MP Rahul Gandhi.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Kandasamy said the Centre was trying to falsely implicate the Gandhis in the case. “A change is happening across the country. People are angry with the Modi government due to price rise and unemployment. People will overthrow the BJP government at the Centre,” he said.
Stating that internal differences within the party are nothing new and it would only strengthen the Congress, he said “there is a very conducive political atmosphere for the party in the Union Territory. Party workers should unite and prepare to face the next Assembly polls alone in all 30 constituencies,” he added.
Former Minister M.O.H.F. Shahjahan and former government whip R.K.R. Anantharaman were among the senior leaders who attended the meeting.
When contacted, PCC president A. V. Subramanian said, “I am not aware of the meeting. They might have taken permission from AICC. The vigorous activities by party leaders show that we are again gaining ground and all are working towards the next Assembly polls,” he told The Hindu.
