TMC workers against merger with Cong

THANJAVUR, April 2: The Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) executive today summarily rejected party president G K Moopanar's offer of resignation ...

THANJAVUR, April 2: The Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) executive today summarily rejected party president G K Moopanar’s offer of resignation and though it did not discuss the issue of a possible merger with Congress, a majority of the partymen appeared to be against any such move.

Expressing their views on the issue clearly, they shouted slogans against it when Moopanar came out of the party’s executive meeting. Moopanar told mediapersons that the issue of merger was a `serious matter’ and there was no question of discussing it `off-hand’. “I do not want to reply to hypothetical questions,” he said when asked what would be the party’s reaction if AICC president Sonia Gandhi issued a call to him and his partymen to rejoin Congress.

Moopanar said that while his offer of resignation from the presidentship of the party owning moral responsibility for the TMC’s poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections was rejected, the executive accepted the resignation of other office bearers. He added that hewould meet the party cadre districtwise from April 10 to 18 and tell them that he would continue to be the party president only if they cooperated in the actions to be taken by him to revamp the party.

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Replying to a question on the future of the United Front, Moopanar said the Front had not become `irrelevant’. “The verdict clearly shows that the BJP did not form the government on the basis of its pre-poll alliance but only on its post-poll alliance with the Telugu Desam Party, headed by Chandrababu Naidu,” he said.

He reiterated his earlier proposal that the Congress should also form part of the United Front in a bid to strengthen all secular forces.

In a resolution, the executive urged the Tamil Nadu Government to take stern action against terrorism and strengthen its efforts in flushing out hidden explosives.

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