Vasan's move, a calibrated masterstroke

As DMK has initiated attempts to broaden its alliance against AIADMK, Congress does not seem to be in the scheme of things

If the indications he gave of reviving the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) on Saturday turns out to be true, the former Union Minister, G.K. Vasan, will only be doing what many had been expecting ever since the Lok Sabha elections.

Sources in the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee say that moving away from the Congress could be the only strategy open to Mr. Vasan for his political survival.

Fighting against heavy odds as an ally of a major Dravidian party in the State, the Congress unwittingly got the tag of being a political untouchable over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue. After the DMK walked out of the UPA in the early 2013, the party found it harder to gain acceptance in the State.

None of the other parties was willing to join hands with the Congress for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. It contested alone, and its vote-share dropped below five per cent.

“Even five months after the polls, there is no indication of the party gaining acceptance. This is a worrying trend, and Mr. Vasan has recognised it,” a former MP said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In fact, even as the DMK has initiated attempts to broaden its alliance against the ruling AIADMK, the Congress does not seem to be in the scheme of things. And for the AIADMK, which has suffered a setback with the conviction of its general secretary Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case, accommodating the Congress with its negative image on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue would be impossible, the leader said.

Political identity

“In such a case, it is only natural that people start dissociating themselves from the Congress to gain back some political identity. Mr. Vasan may feel that the revival of the TMC could be the trump card,” the leader said.

Most TNCC leaders feel that unless Congress president Sonia Gandhi intervenes in the next 24 hours, the Congress may suffer a split. But it may not be as damaging as in 1996, as many leaders who had originally been with the Moopanar faction, including the former Union Minister, P. Chidambaram, and the former MP, Peter Alphonse, have moved away from Mr. Vasan. The course of the party in the State now hinges on the crucial developments in the next couple of days.

‘No proper advice’

Meanwhile, Mr. Gnanadesikan told The Hindu that Ms. Gandhi was not being advised properly by AICC general secretaries through whom the leadership oversees the functioning of the party in the States.