Congress, BJP fight it out over Rahul Gandhi's arrest

Chennai: Rahul Gandhi's detention thrice in two days by the Delhi Police, which directly comes under the supervision of the Union Government, over the One Rank One Pension issue and his “popularity among the people”, has triggered a slug fest in Tamil Nadu politics with the state units blazing all guns against each other.

The new TNCC chief Su Thirunavukarasar, who enjoys cordial relationship with the Congress high command, seems to be emerging as the new “gladiator” of the state politics as he tries to keep the party “alive” albeit on television channels and interviews.

The former Minister in the AIADMK cabinet of late M.G. Ramachandran and later A B Vajpayee at the Centre is particularly targeting his former party, the BJP on issues of national importance.

The war of words between the two national parties, which have little significance in the state politics, early this week reached a crescendo on Saturday when state BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan challenged her TNCC counterpart for a debate on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.

Union Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan launched a tirade against Mr Thirunavukarasar on Tuesday when he asked him to learn a “thing or two” from AICC spokesperson Khushboo on the Uniform Civil Code. Ms Khusbhoo had come out in support of the UCC though her party has been opposing it stoutly.

The unequivocal criticism of the TNCC chief against the BJP is seen by many in the Congress as an imitation of the bombastic politics of predecessor E V K S Elangovan, considered darling of the media. And Mr Thirunavukarasar provides much fodder to the sound-byte-hungry media which laps it up getting reactions for every word spoken by him from the opposite side.

When Mr Gandhi was detained by the Delhi police on Thursday, Mr Thirunavukarasar was quick to dub the BJP Government as “arrogant” and “one that is run by a dictator”.  The PCC chief went all guns blazing on Friday targeting Mr Modi, his colleagues and the Delhi Police for “stifling democracy” in the national capital by detaining a “leader of national repute” thrice in two days.
Responding to this, Mr Radhakrishnan reminded Mr Thirunavukarasar of the “emergency and how Indira Gandhi singlehandedly decimated the Congress” in the 1970s. “Mr Thirunavukarasar should know the history of Congress before speaking. Emergency was imposed in the country only once and that was done by the Congress under Indira Gandhi,” he said.

The icing on the cake in the war of words came on Saturday when Ms Tamilisai Soundararajan claimed Mr Modi was the mo-st popular in the country and rubbished Mr Thirunavukarasar's claims that Mr Gandhi was “more popular than anyone.” “I challenge the TNCC chief for a debate on who is most popular in the country — Mr Modi or Mr Gandhi,” she thundered.

Picking up the gauntlet, Mr Thirunavukarasar asked Ms Soundararajan to decide on the date and venue for her debate. Analysts say a political fight on who's popular — Modi or Rahul — is of no importance in Tamil Nadu politics and the state captains of the two parties are merely trying to stay relevant in the Dravidian state.