Congress squabble in TN poised to go Karate-style

CHENNAI: Martial arts of the political kind were on display during the seat-sharing exercise in Tamil Nadu between the DMK and Congress. Post polling, as the poll results remain embedded in electronic voting machines, the Congress appears to be headed for martial arts of the real kind, with battle lines being drawn within the TNCC.

The latest round of intra-party squabble features none less 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 TNCC president KV Thangabalu.

The TNCC president said ‘Karate’ Thiagarajan and the others were expelled for “anti-party activities” and for conducting campaigns that supported the opposition parties.

“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 the AIADMK ticket in 2006 was expelled by the party two years ago. He joined the Congress before the current assembly poll. 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 who had been the dummy candidate 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.

Several of those expelled by Thangabalu on Thursday are Youth Congress office bearers, fuelling speculation that the trouble within the Congress is of a broad nature.

Karate-Do, the association that Thiagarajan represents, stands for the ‘Karate way’, which emphasises on purging evil and selfish thoughts. Thangabalu’s attempt to purge Thiagarajan and others appears to have increased internal combat within Congress, say observers here.