Vasan’s new outfit is deadwood, says P Chidambram

 

Reserving his thoughts for another day to take more jibes on the AIADMK regime, Chidambaram also broke his silence on Vasan quitting by party by likening his former cabinet colleague’s new outfit to a deadwood that will not grow. “Those who quit are like fallen branches of the tree. They will not have roots. Only the tree will have roots and it will grow. The fallen branches will not grow,” Chidambaram thundered as an overcrowded Kamarajar Arangam erupted in deafening roar of party men who received his comment with thunderous applause again later when Chidmbaram suggested that a situation should arise, wherein, like Nehru, the state party unit should have a 29-year-old mayoral candidate and 40-year-old running for TNCC chief’s office. 

 

The state Congress will march on a victorious patch on a day when news reports appear about youngsters joining the Congress in large numbers daily. For that to happen, the Tamil Nadu Congress must have an organisation from village levels and it would be ridiculous to plan to win 117 seats without an organisation, he said advising Elangovan to start works for restructuring the party at all levels. 

 

However, the Harvard bred economist also conceded that it is difficult to be a state unit of a national party in a state dominated by two extremely parochial parties. Drawing a parallel between Nehru and some of his international contemporaries, Chidambaram said the rest gradually took to dictatorship or one party rule, whereas Nehru continued to be a democrat forever.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Elangovan said the Tamil Nadu  Congressmen should take vow to form the next government or if that becomes difficult, the party should at least be part of the government in 2016.  It was a virtual show of strength by Elangovan who ‘paraded’ the senior party leaders in his kitty by accommodating them on dais and having them speak their thoughts freely against Vasan and company.