Reporter’s diary: ‘Lump sum’ for Rahul rally messes up TN Cong affairs

The State Congress unit, in fact, was troubled by the ‘financial mess’ created during last year’s elections. A couple of top leaders are facing the heat over the financial management, or the lack of it, during the LS poll campaign, especially former party president Rahul Gandhi’s rally in a southern district. It is learnt that complaints have gone from the party State leaders to the high command about a lump sum received for Rahul rally not being accounted for. An influential national leader from the State had even held informal enquiries about a hefty sum donated by one of the resourceful candidates for Rahul’s rally in a southern district. A senior leader managing the accounts was learnt to have collected the ‘sum’ in the presence of a highly placed State party leader at Sathyamurthy Bhavan during the campaign. The issue came to light after the generous donor admitted to giving the ‘sum’ during an informal interaction with a national leader at the Bhavan in the absence of TNCC president KS Alagiri. Shortly thereafter, the TNCC chief and an influential national leader from TN Congress had held a brief discussion, during which the former had struggled to give convincing answers, lending credence to what was till then a rumour among second-rung leaders in the know.