For Cong members, self comes first

CHENNAI, AUG 4: What should you do if the opportunity of serving on a Congress Pradesh Election Committee comes your way?The Tamil Nadu P...

CHENNAI, AUG 4: What should you do if the opportunity of serving on a Congress Pradesh Election Committee comes your way?

The Tamil Nadu PCC election panel makes no qualms about the need to put self above the nation and the party. A party that claims to make sacrifices for the country. The PCC panel obviously believes in the adage 8212; charity begins at home.

The three-member TNCC panel headed by PCC president Tindivanam K Ramamurthy, during negotiations with the AIADMK, ensured that the discussions included seats for themselves besides heads/nominees of various groups in constituencies of their choice.

The maxim horses for courses8217; has no relevance in the affairs of the Congress. What use of being in the panel if Tindivanam Ramamurthy cannot be provided the Tindivanam seat? Never mind if he has lost twice in a row from there.

S Singaravadivelu, PCC vice-president and another member of the panel, apparently wanted the Pudukottai seat, though his constituency should normally be Thanjavur. However,since he must find a place in the list of party candidates, he seeks Pudukottai and gets it, even if it means that the AIADMK must abandon the seat it won in 1998.

R Prabhu of the Congress must contest in Nilgiris. Therefore, this seat must be allocated to the Congress. Mani Shankar Aiyer must be in the list. Therefore, he should be ensured Mayiladuthurai.

Former PCC president and a member of the PCC election panel for the 1999 elections, K V Thangabalu, has to be one of the privileged Congressmen rto get a seat. A safe8217; seat must be found for him.

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A constituency must also go to the Maragatham Chandrasekhar another former PCC president family in the name of representation to a Dalit community. Say, her daughter Latha Priyakumar.

So goes the PCC list.

The Congress list should include another State leader Krishnasamy. But he cannot be given Tindivanam since Ramamurthy is to contest from there. Hence, a seat like Vandavasi is arranged for him.

With little concern for the party prospects andelectoral pragmatism, the Congress happily goes about the task of finding enough berths for its leaders and representatives of various castes. Groupism ensures that the party does not field its best candidate for a constituency but arranges a party ticket for every lobby that exists in the party.

Thus, the PCC list is likely to read like a caste-parade 8212; a quota system 8212; that eats into the vitals of a party that barely exists in Tamil Nadu.