Congress loyalist till last breath, plain-speaking EVKS Elangovan remained bullish against allies, adversaries alike

CHENNAI: In a political era where play-acting is the unwritten norm, EVKS Elangovan was a Mozart in the art of plain speaking in public life. His unwavering loyalty to Congress could not be matched by many in his party - both of which State politics, mainly Congress, will miss in the times to come.

Among the many accomplishments to his credit, daring Elangovan's ability to articulate his views without fear stands out in almost all eulogies written by his political friends and rivals alike. Almost all concur that the fearless politician pulled no punches no matter how big the adversary or even friend in politics was.

Some of his best one-liners still echo in the political realm as people gather to pen his obituary. His infamous recollection of former AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa's long-forgotten endearment, a retort to her questioning the foreign origin of then AICC president Sonia Gandhi when his mother Sulochana Sampath was one of the AIADMK functionaries, was something even the DMK dared not to utter, and something lovers of political wit instantly fell in love with. Alliance compulsions were never a deterrent to his intrepid nature, which knew no bounds. Be it in the alliance with the AIADMK in 2001 or later with the DMK in 2006, a lionhearted Elangovan did not bother to call out the association with pro-LTTE outfits in the State or demand a share in power.

For those enthused by the contemporary Congressmen demanding a piece of the power pie from the DMK now, Elangovan was the forerunner of all of it. Elangovan demanded a share in power from the DMK led by Karunanidhi, one of the linchpins of Manmohan Singh's UPA-I tenure. His political censuring was at times so pungent that the brave heart had to endure a reported 23 defamation cases filed in different reigns of Jayalalithaa, a quality that earned him the respect of the Congressmen who are never averse to suggesting that the AICC must appoint a TNCC president of the Elangovan kind to keep the party live and kicking in the Dravidian backyard.

Equally commendable was his loyalty. Barring a brief separation from the Congress in the late 1980s when he joined his matinee idol Sivaji Ganesan's Tamizhaga Munnetra Munnani and unsuccessfully contested from Bhavani Sagar Assembly constituency in 1989 in the company of the Janaki faction of the AIADMK, Elangovan's heart and thoughts and also action always remained with the Congress. Returning to Congress after Sivaji's short political misadventure, Elangovan remained steadfast in his commitment to the grand old party, so much so that he endured in the INC even when the mighty GK Moopanar broke ranks and successfully floated the Tamil Maanila Congress in 1996.

Shepherding the party after Vazhapadi Ramamoorthy, Elangovan relinquished his TNCC president post and accepted the Working President rank to facilitate GK Vasan's eventual reunion in 2002. History repeated, and with it, the opportunity for Elangovan returned in 2014 when he donned the hat of the TNCC chief again following Vasan's exit and revival of the TMC. In both instances, separated by less than two decades, Elangovan captained the party while it fought for political relevance, thus demonstrating his unwavering loyalty till his demise on Saturday. Lady luck has not been in his favour a great deal.

A battle-hardened political career marred by electoral losses more than victories, Elangovan lost four of the five LS polls and one of the three Assembly polls he contested in his 40-year-old political career. However, he did not hesitate to take one on the chin for his party. Even ahead of the Erode East by-poll, when this reporter spoke to him, a grief-stricken Elangovan, who was still recovering from the loss of his son Thirumahan Everaa, reluctantly said, "I am not keen on contesting the by-poll at this age. Some people want my other son to contest. But he is not interested. If the party insists, I cannot say no."

In the end, septuagenarian Elangovan obliged the high command and successfully contested from his home town, and his demise had left the Assembly seat vacant.

Braveheart's tumultuous journey:

1984 elected first to TN Assembly from Sathyamangalam seat

1989 lost from Bhavani Sagar Assembly segment, contesting under Sivaji's TMM

1996 lost the Krishnagiri LS Poll

2004 elected from Gobichettipalayam; appointed Union Minister of Textiles

2009 lost in Erode LS Poll

2014 lost Tirupur seat for the Lok Sabha; Congress contested alone without alliance partners

2019 lost in Theni Lok Sabha seat; sole loser of UPA from the State

2023 elected to TN Assembly from Erode East in by-poll after son Thirumagan Everaa's death