The appointment of K.S. Alagiri as the president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) has come at a crucial time for the party, as the Lok Sabha polls draw closer. The 67-year-old has made his mark as a no-nonsense speaker and a field worker. Known to be a politician who does his homework, Mr. Alagiri, along with Peter Alphonse, Chokkar and Chellakumar, captured the attention of the House during 1991-96. Faced with the challenging task of leading a political party known for its factionalism, the two-time MLA and former MP says he is confident of winning the trust of party members. Excerpts from an interview:
What are the challenges for the Congress party in Tamil Nadu?
The ruling AIADMK and the BJP (at the Centre) have divided the people in the name of caste, religion and all retrograde ideologies. Unless you mobilise the youth under the banner of secularism and democracy, they are in danger of falling prey to the evil designs of the BJP. At a time when many of its neighbours are languishing in poverty, India is capable of becoming a superpower because of the socio-economic and political policies pursued by the Congress when it was in power. We have to strengthen them to prevent them from being diluted.
How are you going to face the challenges inside the party organisation?
We have an organisational structure in the State and the priority is to strengthen it. I will do it as the president of the party. All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi has introduced Project Shakti — a mobile application to strengthen the party’s ground-level organisation — and I will take it to every nook and corner of Tamil Nadu.
Is it not a difficult task considering the fact that the Congress in the State is dominated by so many factional leaders?
I feel they are the strength (of the party). You wouldn’t come across so many political leaders of such stature and popularity in other parties. The democratic structure of the Congress has offered them a space. You should keep in mind that the Congress, since the days of the freedom struggle, has been dominated by strong leaders. Mahatma Gandhi’s stature was matched by Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajaji and others. If the party has any negative features, it is my duty to convert them into positives.
You hope that they will cooperate with you…
If you function as president without throwing your weight around, everyone will cooperate.
The high-command has made the unusual move of appointing four working presidents for the State…
Similar appointments have been made in States like Kerala, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The purpose of such appointments is to delimit power, and this will be achieved in T.N. also.
You are seen as a loyalist of former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, and it is said that he got you this post...
Mr. Chidambaram has been my favourite leader since my college days. But I am a loyalist of [Congress leaders] Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and you cannot put such a label on me. All Congress leaders, including former TNCC presidents E.V.K.S. Elangovan, K.V. Thangkabalu and (immediate predecessor) Su. Thirunavukkarasar are my friends.
