In TN, ‘Rahulji’ on Congress arms

‘‘He (Rahul Gandhi) is our guide and the future of India for the next six decades,’’ said one of the 300 waiting in a queue at Sathyamoorthy Bhavan, the Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters here.

‘‘The Youth Congress should commit itself to Rahulji’s leadership and we should project him openly and boldly till we die,’’ said Dr M K Vishnuparasad, TN Youth Congress president.

Claiming that this was the first time in India that such a gesture was being made for their leader, Vishnuprasad said: ‘‘We want to give Rahulji a concrete base in Tamil Nadu and be his soldiers.’’

There was some method to this madness, too. Each of the 300 ensured that he was jabbed with a fresh needle ‘‘to prevent’’ HIV and Hepatitis. ‘‘We want to remain healthy to serve Rahulji,’’ said Vishnuprasad.

Anyway, the one non-partyman who came out smiling after it all was 14-year-old tattoo artist, Karthik, who was hauled off a city pavement, where he usually does business. So what if he was illiterate and found it difficult to etch ‘Rahulji’ correctly on 300 eager arms.

Then again, the Youth Congressmen’s ‘Hail Rahulji’ sloganeering failed to drown the fireworks within the faction-ridden Pradesh Congress Committee.

Union Minister E V K S Ilangovan’s demand for the resignation of S R Balasubramaniam, the Congress legislature party leader, has led to another round of sparring between him and PCC chief, G K Vasan.

In fact, a headline-hungry section of the Youth Congress today even threatened to take a procession of donkeys to the minister’s residence in Erode to protest his ‘‘indiscipline’’.