PC reboots: From oblivion to Finance

State Congress workers burnt his effigies and staged protests, opposing the high command decision to give him the seat. The TNCC chief G.K.Vasan had demanded that he merge his outfit with the Congress and then take the seat. But the lawyer stuck to his guns and did not wind up his outfit.

The Congress high command offered him the seat after accommodating sitting Congress MP from Sivaganga, Sudarshanam Nachiappan, as an AICC secretary. Principally because of PC’s formidable profile — economist, intellectual, five-time MP, former Minister of Commerce, Finance and a lieutenant of Rajiv Gandhi. The fact that his friend Kamal Nath was the AICC Secretary in-charge of Tamil Nadu also helped.

An impressive orator in Tamil and English, Chidambaram is also known for his staunch opposition to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. When the Congress decided to align with the AIADMK, Chidambaram and his mentor G.K. Moopanar broke away to launch Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC). He became Finance Minister in the United Front Government after the DMK-TMC combine swept the general elections in 1996.

In 1999, PC suffered a big low as TMC went alone in the 1999 elections. He finished third, Congress candidate Sudarshanam Nachiappan won.

On the eve of the TN Assembly elections two years ago, PC broke off from the TMC following Moopanar’s decision to align with Jayalalithaa and started the Congress Jananayaga Peravai.

In the run-up to the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, PC spoke more economics than politics to his voters. And, the refrain in his campaign meetings was: Tamil Nadu did not get key portfolios in the NDA Government. And if the Congress was voted to power, MPs from Tamil Nadu will get important Ministries. Indeed, this one election promise has been kept.