Will go for total revamp of party units, says TN Congress chief

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) state president K. Selvaperunthagai has begun meeting party cadres and mid-level leaders to revamp the district and state committees.

K. Selvaperunthagai while speaking to IANS said that the party would go for a total revamp and that discussions were going on at all the levels to take a final decision.

The party’s state executive committee had empowered the TNCC president K. Selvaperunthagai to immediately revamp the party at the district and state levels. A resolution passed by the TNCC state executive committee on September 19 pitched for bringing in 'Kamarajar' rule in Tamil Nadu. This is a major political move as since 1969 the Congress party has not been in power in the state.

The resolution also stated that reforms should be carried out in the organisational structure of TNCC in accordance with the Udhaipur Declaration of the Congress adopted in May 2022.

It may be recalled that as per the Udhaipur declaration, no person should hold one party position for more than five years and should provide opportunities to new people. The declaration also said that 50 per cent of the office-bearers should be below 50 years of age at all levels of the organisation.

As per this, significant changes can be expected in the party apparatus in the TNCC in the coming days.

A senior leader of the Tamil Nadu Congress party told IANS that the party will enforce “One person one post”, and “One family one ticket”.

Party tickets for second family members will be given only after five years of party work.

Sources in the party told IANS that the TNCC president has already met all the party district presidents and has taken their views regarding the revamp. The state president, according to senior party leaders, has stressed for including active workers as party office-bearers.

It may be noted that the Congress party has 18 legislators in the state Assembly but DMK has not accommodated any of them in the state cabinet. There have been regular rifts at the grassroots level with the DMK cadre and the party's local leaders want strong leaders to be inducted into the party to support the cadres.

A senior leader of the party while speaking to IANS said, ”The TN Congress has a strong support base in certain areas of the state and the primary concern in the revamp has to be how to come back to power in the state rather than piggyback riding the DMK. The party can even pitch in for positioning with the AIADMK if things are going like this.”