TMC, Congress leaders indulge in slanging match

Friends turned foes, TMC members and TNCC (Tamil Nadu Congress Committee) members have started a slanging match recently. The leaders and members of the parent party Congress and splinter group led by GK Vasan, are waging a statement war against each.

A day after TMC youth wing leader M Yuvaraja dared TNCC president KS Alagiri for a public debate, a frontal wing leader of TNCC has issued a strongly worded statement advising ‘inexperienced’ Yuvaraja and his boss Vasan to exercise restraint in their critique of the Congress party and its leaders.

Recalling the support offered by deceased TMC founder GK Moopanar even after parting ways with the Congress to topple the Vajpayee-led BJP government in 1999, MP Ranjankumar, president of Central Chennai (west) SC wing, said that Moopanar, unlike his son, did not conspire against the Congress despite floating the TMC.

Detailing the power enjoyed by Vasan after merging the TMC with the Congress over a decade ago, Ranjankumar said the TMC youth wing president might be unaware that posts were given to Vasan by Sonia Gandhi as a mark of respect towards Moopanar and not because of Vasan’s competence.

“Is Vasan an embodiment of competence? Why were the posts given to him? They were given not because of his competence, but Sonia’s respect towards the late leader Moopanar,” the SC wing leader of TNCC remarked, ridiculing Vasan for joining the AIADMK-BJP alliance for an MP seat.

Yuvaraja had issued a rebuttal statement claiming that Alagiri was not competent enough to tutor TMC and Vasan on politics. Daring Alagiri for a public debate, the TMC youth wing leader had also wondered if EVKS Elangovan and P Chidambaram had not criticised the Congress adversely after quitting the party?

The war of words started after Alagiri responded to Vasan’s critique of Congress and its leaders earlier.