The Congress in Tamil Nadu is gearing to organise a visit of its vice-president Rahul Gandhi in January, in the hope of gaining more relevance in the State politics and boosting the organisational morale.
Two developments have hit the party hard in 2014. A disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha elections saw its votebank dip to a historic low. The party then split, with the former Union Minister, G.K. Vasan, reviving the Tamil Manila Congress and taking several senior leaders away.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) sources said its president E.V.K.S Elangovan met Mr. Gandhi in New Delhi last week to confirm his tour.
ADVERTISEMENT
While it was first decided to hold a public rally in Erode in the first week of January, the date is now being rescheduled. Erode has been chosen as the rally venue as it is the home turf of Mr. Elangovan, who wants to assert his position as the leader of the faction-ridden TNCC.
“The whole idea is to rejuvenate party workers and ensure that more people do not gravitate towards Mr. Vasan’s party. The TNCC also needs a direction,” a party senior said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Given the aggressive push of the BJP to expand in Tamil Nadu, a few Congress leaders feel this is the right time to consolidate the party’s base among the minorities. Also, since close to 30 district presidents have already moved to the TMC, there is also a need to appoint new persons to those slots.