Congress puts up united face

Chennai: Putting up a rare show of unity, Congress stalwarts P. Chidambaram and E. V. K. S. Elangovan shared the dais here on Wednesday to welcome Peter Alphonse and P. Vishwanathan back into the party fold from TMC, as they laid stress on “unity among leaders and cadre” for the party’s progress in Tamil Nadu.

Chidambaram, former Union finance minister, was the cynosure of all eyes as he made a rare visit to Sathyamurthy Bhawan, TNCC headquarters, to welcome leaders and cadre along with AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik.

Chidambaram, who has a running feud with Elangovan, has been keeping away from TNCC programmes and had led a delegation of Congress leaders to New Delhi to complain against the “unilateral style” of functioning of the State unit chief.

However, senior leaders sharing the stage on Wednesday is being construed as an ‘indirect message’ to Vasan and his TMC that the Congress is still a force to reckon with in Tamil Nadu.  Chidambaram’s visit to Sathyamurthy Bhawan also comes close on the heels of the Congress high command agreeing to give seats to his followers.

Speaking to reporters after re-joining the parent party, Alphonse said he was “happy” to be back in Congress, for whose ideals he always stood for. “I think my homecoming is like ghar wapsi. I will call it my political ghar wapsi. (By my decision) today, I think, the political mistakes that I committed have been rectified,” he said.

Alphonse, a former MP and three-time MLA, quit TMC on Saturday last after the party decided to join DMDK-PWA combine to fight the Assembly elections. Vishwanathan, a former Kanchipuram MP, also quit TMC and joined Congress.
Welcoming Alphonse and Vishwanathan, Chidambaram said: “I welcome Peter Alphonse to the party. He is an excellent orator. There is a split in Congress after every election, but as an election approaches, the party stands united. If the Congress’ goals and ideals have to succeed, then the party has to be one and it has to be one Congress.”

The TNCC chief said in a lighter vein that Alphonse’s re-entry into Congress would bring “more women and youth” into the party since “Peter can attract women.” .

“Return of leaders like Peter (Alphonse) has made the Congress much stronger. Today, I feel the Congress is the most important after DMK and AIADMK in the state. With the return of leaders from TMC, we feel we have got back the lost strength,” he said.

Though reports said Alphonse would be fielded from Tenkasi,  Wasnik said a decision on whether to give seats to leaders who have come from TMC will be decided by the high command.