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In Tamil Nadu, Congress faces political ostracisation

The Indian National Congress, the country’s largest political party, seems to have become untouchable in Tamil Nadu.

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The Indian National Congress, the country’s largest political party, seems to have become untouchable in Tamil Nadu.

“Not a single political party in the state likes to have an alliance with the Congress. All are of the view that a tie-up with the Congress is a sure recipe for defeat,” says T Jawahar, political commentator and columnist.

The Congress, which ruled Tamil Nadu uninterrupted till 1967, finished with just 5.7 per cent votes in the recent local bodies elections. “While the BJP, a political non-entity in Tamil Nadu, managed to win two municipalities, the Congress drew a blank,” points out veteran political observer N Kalyanasundaram.

The DMDK polled double of that mobilized by the Congress.

The party found itself in an embarrassing situation when its nominee failed to file her nomination for the mayor election in Trichy. Adding insult to injury is the fact that not even small political entities were willing to forge an alliance with the party.

The Congress, which literally called the shots in the run up to the assembly elections in April 2011 by wresting 63 constituencies, finished with just five seats. “This has eroded the bargaining power of the party and it is going to face hard times ahead. This is all because leaders with great following are now absent in the party and the present day leaders of the state unit cannot command a following that could win a single seat in any election for the organisation. The Congress has to win maximum seats from Tamil Nadu in the next Lok Sabha elections since the going is quite tough in all other southern states,” Kalyanasundaram said.

The results of the local body elections have brought to light the fact that smaller parties—be it the DMDK, the Congress, the PMK, MDMK and the Communist parties — have to jump on to the bandwagon of the DMK or the AIADMK for their survival, Kalyanasundaram said.

Both the AIADMK and DMK had decided to fight the local body elections alone with forming any alliances. While the DMK came second in a un-flattery manner, all other parties made a very poor finish.

Even senior leaders of these parties, in anonymity, expressed the view that they can survive only by hanging on to either of the two Dravidian parties in the state.

The Tamil Nadu unit of the Congress is now facing an embarrassing situation as not only the DMK has distanced itself from it but also that the AIADMK has not given any indication for any possible tie-up in future.

Congress cadre are so much disillusioned that they feel unless that the all-India leadership, specifically Sonia Gandhi, embarks upon a very drastic measure, nothing else can save the party or keep it alive.

“The cadre have lost faith in the local leadership including the union ministers from the state,” said Kalyanasundaram.

“Show me one Congress leader from Tamil Nadu who can stand up to the leadership of the DMK or the AIADMK. The party died a natural death with the passing away of Moopanar. What we do have now are all dealers, not leaders,” Jawahar added.

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