Congress headed for real martial arts post Tamil Nadu polling

CHENNAI: If the fight over seat-sharing between the DMK and the Congress in Tamil Nadu were just short of martial arts on display, the Congress appears to be headed for real martial arts post polling. The latest round of intra-party squabble features none other than ‘Karate’ R Thiagarajan, reportedly the first Indian to earn a black belt as a teenager, and president of the All India Karate-Do Federation.

Thiagarajan, a former deputy mayor of Chennai, was expelled on Thursday along with actor-politician SV Sekhar and 17 others by Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president KV Thangabalu for their alleged “anti-party activities” before the polls. “He has no right to expel us. In fact, as we understand it, the matter has not even been referred to the disciplinary committee headed by AK Antony. I am still in the Congress party, and it is Thangabalu who is going to be taken off soon,” Thiagarajan told ET.

SV Sekhar, the sitting MLA of Mylapore constituency, has expressed similar sentiments about his ‘expulsion’ from the party. Both Thiagarajan and Sekhar were previously in the AIADMK camp. Thiagarajan was AIADMK’s deputy mayor of the Chennai Corporation and joined Congress later. Thiagarajan confirmed that he had discussed the matter with P Chidambaram, and that he was confident that Thangabalu’s decision to expel him and the others would not stand. Thiagarajan is known to be close to Chidambaram’s son Karthi Chidambaram. SV Sekhar’s disillusionment with the party was evident from the time the candidates’ list was announced.

Sekhar, who was elected from Mylapore on AIADMK ticket in 2006, was expelled by the party two years ago. He joined the Congress before the current assembly polls. He was denied a ticket this time and the beneficiary was Thangabalu’s wife Jayanthi. When Jayanthi’s candidacy was rejected by the Election Commission authorities, Thangabalu became the official candidate to the chagrin of several Congressmen. Some of them went public with their protests against the TNCC chief, burning his effigy and staging a dharna.