TN Congress in a poster war -Governance Now

TN Congress in a poster war

Chidambaram supporters call state chief ‘political buffoon’ after his attack on Chidambaram and son

Shivani Chaturvedi | February 2, 2015 | Chennai

A poster war has broken out in Tamil Nadu with supporters of former union minister P Chidambaram putting up posters calling Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief EVKS Elangovan a political buffoon.

An uneasy silence took over the Tamil Nadu Congress unit in the wake of the poster war even as the party high command rebuked the state unit chief for his recent comments against the former union finance minister.

Soon after former union minister Jayanthi Natarajan quit the Congress, Elangovan had reportedly said the Tamil Nadu Congress would attain salvation if one more person quits along with his heir in an apparent reference to Chidambaram and his son Karti.

At present, Elangovan is in Delhi campaigning for assembly elections. He told press persons that he has already given an explanation to All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi on the Chidambaram issue. He, however, did not answer queries over the poster war.

The poster war began in Erode district with Chidambaram supporters plastering the town with posters asking Elangovan to leave the party. Similar posters, with pictures of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on one side and those of Chidambaram and his son Karti on the other side, appeared in some parts of Chennai and Trichy as well, even after the Congress high command questioned Elangovan on his criticism of the former union minister.

On Monday, Elangovan told media persons in Delhi that with his explanation to Sonia Gandhi, the issue of Chidambaram was now with the central party headquarters. Whatever action they will take was up to them, he said. Elangovan said he had met the party in-charge of Tamil Nadu, Mukul Wasnik, but denied that this issue figured in his conversations. Vasnik is expected to visit Tamil Nadu and discussions were on preparations for his visit, he added.

Elangovan denied that he was summoned to Delhi for any reason, and asserted that his visit was only to campaign for the party in the assembly elections.

Meanwhile, Karti Chidambaram refused to comment when Governance Now tried to get his views on the ongoing tussle in the party.

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