HVK Archives: Sonia's entry puts an end to Cong. leadership crisis, says Moopanar
Sonia's entry puts an end to Cong. leadership crisis, says Moopanar - The Times of India
The Times of India News Service
()
10 May 1997
Title : Sonia's entry puts an end to Cong. leadership crisis, says Moopanar
Author : The Times of India News Service
Publication : The Times of India
Date : May 10, 1997
Sonia Gandhi's entry put an end to the leadership crisis in the Congress, said
Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) president G.K. Moopanar. "She will help consolidate
the Congress into a stable party," the TMC leader told reporters on Friday.
He was less forthcoming when asked whether it would change TMC's equation with the
Congress, considering that Mr Moopanar and his partymen held Ms Gandhi in high
regard.
Asked whether this development would bring TMC closer to the Congress, Mr Moopanar
observed, "We are close to all parties and we maintain equidistance with all."
Didn't Sonia's entry make the Congress a natural ally of the TMC in Tamil Nadu? Mr
Moopanar stonewalled it, saying "We are in a different alliance (with DMK)."
Chief minister and DMK president M. Karunanidhi, on his part, sought to playdown
Ms Gandhi's decision in response to a question Mr Karunanidhi told reporters in
Coimbatore that in a democracy every citizen had the right to join the party of
his or her choice.
Mr Karunanidhi's current concern was, what he called, the political designs of
some parties, which were out to exploit caste feelings to tarnish the image of the
ruling DMK. The chief minister said the recent caste clashes in some southern
districts were not a fallout of the present government policy.
Whatever the cause, the government's handling of the situation. came in for
criticism from many quarters, notably DMK's ally TMC. Among the victims of
Wednesday's mob violence in Sivakasi was its municipal chairman and TMC member
Gnanasekaran, whose house was attacked.
Even as Mr Moopanar was addressing the press at TMC's Satyamurthy Bhavan
headquarters he received information about fresh violence at Sivakasi. A TMC
councillor was stabbed and his two-wheeler set on fire in Sivakasi street violence
on Friday.
The TMC, president expressed misgivings about the performance of the police,
particularly its intelligence network which apparently failed to anticipate
trouble. "Keeping a tab on political parties and leaders is not their only
purpose," said Mr Moopanar. In response to a question the TMC chief said he did
not know whether he was under such surveillance. Even if he was, he had no problem
with it, Mr Moopanar added.
Referring to the initial provocation for cateist feelings that escalated into
caste clashes Mr Moopanar observed that it was not a good idea to put up statues
or name districts.
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