Ex-deputy mayor meets P Chidambaram, denies anti-party stance

CHENNAI/ TIRUCHY: Former Chennai deputy mayor and Congress functionary Karate Thyagarajan, who was suspended by the party high command for violating party discipline, on Friday stuck to his guns, stating that he had not acted against the interests of the Congress.

Karate Thyagarajan, who was Chennai South district unit Congress president, met senior party leader and former Finance minister, Mr. P. Chidambaram here and explained his stand.

A controversy had erupted over a senior DMK functionary’s K N Nehru recent remarks about continuation of the DMK-Congress alliance for the ensuing Local Bodies polls, to which Karate Thyagarajan had responded despite a diktat that party-men should not speak on this issue.  

Karate Thyagarajan later told the press that he had not commented or criticised the party high command or the party’s policy. Many others in the TNCC including Ms. Vijayadharani, MLA, have criticised the party in the recent past, but no action was taken against them, he said, adding, “only I am being singled out.” Without asking for an explanation, action was taken against me, said Karate Thyagarajan and accused TNCC spokesperson A Gopanna with having been involved in several irregularities.  “I will complain about this,” he added.

Mr. Gopanna, however, refuted the charges against him made by Karate Thyagarajan as “baseless”, adding, he would file a counter-complaint against the latter’s defamatory charge.

Mr. Gopanna said Karate Thyagarajan’s utterances had amounted to breaching the party discipline as it could affect the DMK-Congress political alliance in Tamil Nadu. So action was taken against him, explained Mr. Gopanna.

The TNCC president, Mr K S Azhagiri, who expressed deep grief and condolence on the passing away of the senior woman leader and veteran social worker Mrs Jaya Arunachalam, also reiterated that disciplinary action would be taken against any member who violated the party discipline.