Will state Congress witness a change of guard?

Satyamurthy Bhavan has been rife with talks of a possible replacement to him, as few of his requests were not sanctioned by the AICC of late. It was not EVKS Elangovan, the most acerbic critic of Thirunavukkarasar, but former union finance minister P Chidambaram’s name which has been reverberating in the Congress office as the possible replacement to him. 

Sources close to Chidambaram said, the Harvard-bred MP who plays the Devil’s Advocate in New Delhi whenever the Congress lands in trouble, has given his consent to take up an active role in Tamil Nadu Congress. 

Chidambaram confidants even claimed that the change of guard would happen before the end of May.  Their confidence might have stemmed from some of the recent developments in the AICC regarding the TNCC. 

AICC had twice vetoed Thirunavukkarasar’s proposal to re-organise the state party unit, especially the bifurcation of most district Congress units in Tamil Nadu, which, sources confirmed, was opposed by Chidambaram and EVKS, while former TNCC chief K V Thangkabalu had sided with Thirunavukkarasar for a consideration (few district president posts). 

Trouble has been brewing so fast for Thirunavukkarasar that rebels had even organised a meeting of Chidambaram and EVKS even without inviting the TNCC chief. The squabbling leaders had even petitioned aplenty against Thirunavukkarasar, mainly his seeming soft-corner for Sasikala’s AIADMK. 

The renewed ties between the Gandhis and DMK working president M K Stalin, who were seen exchanging pleasantries during the latter’s recent New Delhi visit, had only lent some credence to doomsday predictions about the incumbent TNCC chief who has been trying to build bridges with the DMK leadership. Curiously, it may not be the end of the road for Thirunavukkarasar. 

As much as his contenders want him to leave, it’s the crises the AICC has been mired in that might save him. A senior TNCC leader close to Thirunavukkarasar said, “AICC has its own set of problems at the national level to worry about and replacing TNCC chief would be the last item on its agenda. He had publicly extended his support to the DMK and criticised the AIADMK,” before sarcastically adding, “TNCC chief post is not like the Chennai City Police Commissioner’s to be replaced as and when doubts are raised.”