The exchange highlights the friction within Tamil Nadu Congress ahead of the state polls.
Highlights
- Karti Chidambaram slammed Congress over "jumbo committees" for Tamil Nadu
- A congress leader took "hard work" jibe at Mr Chidambaram on his remarks
- Exchange highlights friction within Tamil Nadu Congress ahead of polls
A person who became a parliamentarian primarily because of his father's influence is unlikely to understand how "hard work" can make one a state-level party official, one of the many newly-elected Tamil Nadu Congress office bearers has said. The tweet carrying his comment quoted that of party MP Karti Chidambaram, son of a former Union finance minister, rubbishing jumbo committees that "serve no purpose".
The comment by K Mahendran, who was on Saturday appointed Tamil Nadu party general secretary, along with 57 other state-level office bearers, brought forth the friction within the state unit of the national party merely months ahead of the assembly election.
Many hard-working Youth Congress, NSUI, Mahila Congress, and scheduled caste department functionaries have made it into the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, Mr Mahendran said in his tweet. "Some (who) became MP because of their father can't understand," he said, quoting the Sivaganga MP's post.
Mr Mahendran's comment was posted on the same day as the parliamentarian's, in which he had dissented against his party's move to appoint 32 vice-presidents, 57 general secretaries, 104 secretaries, 56 executive committee members, 32 ex-officio members, and 200 odd other members to Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.
"These jumbo committees serve no purpose...None will have any authority which means no accountability," Mr Chidambaram tweeted.
The Congress's appointment of the giant team is being viewed as an attempt to motivate and strengthen the party at the grass root level.
The MP's critical comments followed his father P Chidambaram's support to dissenters during recent a meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi. The former Union Finance Minister had backed calls for elections at every level and also demanded the reconstitution of the Congress Parliamentary Board.
The Congress has traditionally played a marginal role in Tamil Nadu, a state that goes to polls in April-May. It has mostly aligned with the DMK, a party that is now looking to replace the present AIADMK regime, which is itself a part of the BJP-led NDA.
The last time a Congress government ruled Tamil Nadu was in 1967.
"It's over 50 years since the Tamil Nadu Congress was in power. So we can't reward our leaders with government positions. We can only give them party positions for their loyalty. In any other party they would have quit. In Congress, they remain in the party spending their own money for 50 years," A Gopanna, one of the newly-appointed vice-presidents, told NDTV.