Tamil Nadu Congress Committee invites Tamil Maanila Congress chief G K Vasan back to party; offer declined

CHENNAI: The Congress state unit today urged Tamil Maanila Congress chief G K Vasan to return to his "home", Congress, nearly a year and a half after he left the outfit, but the latter politely declined the offer.

"Congress party is like your mother's home... though you have separated from this home for months, this is your own home. I affectionately urge you to come again to your home," Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President E V K S Elangovan said, addressing reporters at the party headquarters Satyamurthy Bhavan here today.

Vasan had quit Congress in November 2014 along with his supporters and revived the Tamil Maanila Congress, which his father had founded in 1996 and was later merged with Congress in 2002.

Participating in a function later, Vasan politely declined the offer. "I have said this before and I would also like to say this again, Tamil Maanila Congress has diverged a long distance from Congress party," he said, adding, "Even after that, if you have started to be concerned, I urge you not to have any fear."

Elangovan said the party's election manifesto would be released soon.

TMC has been allotted coconut grove symbol by Election Commission and not the bicycle symbol it had years ago.