New Delhi, Dec. 19: Leaders from the Tamil Nadu unit of the Congress, who had come to participate in the 83rd plenary session of the party, sought to persuade the party president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, into breaking from the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance(DPA) in the state.
They also requested her to persuade the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, not to visit Tamil Nadu, next month so as to ensure the top brass of the DMK dont get to share the dias with the him. As per the schedule, Dr Manmohan Singh is to visit Tamil Nadu on the 3rd of January, 2011 to inaugurate a science exihibition and a techological park, in Chennai.
Sources revealed that those who called on Mrs Gandhi, behind the dias of the plenary, are the Union home minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, the former Union minister, Mr E.V. K.S. Elangovan, the shipping minister, Mr G.K. Vasan, the TNPCC president, Mr Thangabalu, the former minister, Mr Prabhu, the former TNPCC president, Mr Krishnaswamy, the national spokesperson, Ms Jayanthi Natrajan, and the MLAs — Dr Jayakumar and Peter Alphonse.
Mr Thangabalu and Mr Alphonse, who are perceived to be close to the DMK chief, Mr M. Karunanidhi, sought to keep a distance from the general mood of the remaining leaders. Mr Chidambaram, too, who has no love lost for Ms Jayalalithaa, kept mum all through the interactions. It was the others who did the talking in favour of ending the alliance with the DMK.
According to sources, Mrs Gandhi promised to consider their request and on the PM’s visit, she agreed to take up the
matter with him.
A slight commotion reigned midway of the plenary session as some party activists physically accosted the AICC general secretary in charge of Bihar, Mr Mukul Wasnik, blaming him for results in the recently held state Assembly polls.
The delegates were seen shouting from their places in the third enclosure from the dais that “Wasnik chor hai (Wasnik is thief)” and “Wasnik ne ticket becha hai (Wasnik has sold tickets).