The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) has issued a show-cause notice to MP Karti Chidambaram, the son of veteran Congress leader P Chidambaram, for his controversial remarks suggesting that no Congress leader, including Rahul Gandhi, could match Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s propaganda skills. While the move highlighted the sensitivity around criticism of the party leadership and the internal rifts, it also led many within the party to argue that the TNCC could not issue Karti a notice as he is an All India Congress Committee (AICC) member. The controversy erupted following Karti’s recent interview with Tamil news channel Thanthi TV where his implicit critique of the Congress leadership and inadvertent praise of Modi’s capabilities drew the ire of the party’s disciplinary committee. “In today’s reality of propaganda, I would say that nobody is a match for Modi,” Karti said in the interview. While top TNCC leaders refused to comment, TNCC chief K S Alagiri was not available for comment. “It was definitely not in good taste. Particularly, the underestimation of Rahul Gandhi’s prowess cannot be tolerated by the party cadre. The notice is to uphold party discipline and a message that deviations from the party’s ideology and leadership will not be spared,” said a senior TNCC leader. In his 39-minute interview, when asked about the Congress’s PM candidate, Karti said deliberations are on. “But I strongly believe that messaging is important before that. Public messaging about our PM candidate is required soon. In our elections hereafter, we should not be announcing our promises and plans at the last minute of elections but at least six to four months before. That alone reaches the mind of people. I hope the party will come out with a narrative by January in opposition to BJP’s Jai Sri Ram and bulldozer politics. Did people’s lives improve or not in the last 10 years? I believe that average people's lives have not improved at all. Inflation and economic disadvantages are to be highlighted to counter their propaganda,” Karti said. Asked if he considered AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge a good candidate for the PM’s post, Karti said Kharge was a seasoned politician with over 53 years in politics. “But two parties have suggested his name. Others also have to come to that opinion. If you ask me whether he is qualified for that post, definitely," Karti said. “I feel that if you are projecting a PM candidate against Modi, it should be done early. I do not know if we could match their propaganda machinery if we announce our PM candidate at the last minute, even if you bring a popular actor or cricket player to that position. Because Modi’s propaganda has been happening for a long time. Asking people ‘Have your life improved or not in the last decade?’ should be the question we ask the people,” Karti said. “Is Kharge a match for Modi or not,” the interviewer asked. “In today’s reality of propaganda, I would say that nobody is a match for Modi,” Karti replied. “What if Rahul is the rival candidate?” was the next question. “Tough, if you take their propaganda machinery, and the natural advantage as a prime minister. But defeating the BJP is still possible, I believe,” he said. “If we follow the electoral arithmetic and take the political messaging properly, BJP can be defeated despite Modi’s popularity. But if you ask me a name as powerful as Modi, I cannot give you a name immediately. If you ask the average Congress cadres, they wish that Rahul Gandhi should lead the party. INDIA block suggesting Kharge’s name also may have tactical reasons… In a personality war, Modi cannot be defeated, in my understanding. But in a political battle or taking up issues, victory is ours,” he said. Karti said that if it was a Congress MP who had issued passes to the accused in the Parliament security breach case, BJP’s propaganda machinery would have gone berserk with extreme campaigns. “Here it is being underplayed a lot,” he said. To this, the interviewer asked why Congress does not run such propaganda machinery. “I totally agree, I agree that their ground game is better than us. I admitted that several times. Shortcomings of our party and leadership are something I always accept,” Karti replied. Karti was one of the more than 100 Opposition MPs suspended during the recent Winter Session following protests over the December 13 Parliament security breach. Saying that he was only standing in the aisle and did not sloganeer or carry a placard, Karti said he asked the Lok Sabha secretary why he was suspended, and got a smile in return. “They want a North Korea- and China-type Stamping House without an Opposition. Whatever the PM decides, a team that claps in synchronisation is what they want. They do not want to keep it as a space for discussion…,” Karti added. Asked if winning the elections and being in power was the only solution, Karti replied, “Absolutely, winning the election is the only solution here.” On certain dissatisfactions within the INDIA bloc on seat sharing, among other issues, Karti said that an alliance will always have certain disagreements but it will move forward and the Congress will take all necessary efforts to do that. “I am a very small element in the party. The leadership has to make efforts to fix many issues… I am not there to solve it. If I know these issues, means my leaders also would be aware, I am sure,” Karti said. On Nitish Kumar speaking in Hindi and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP T R Baalu being snubbed for seeking a translation, Karti said Nitish Kumar saying everyone should learn Hindi was wrong. “But at the same time, there is no point in responding and making every small issue bigger. Even DMK is aware of that fact. We stood with DMK. After this issue happened, everyone in the meeting started speaking in English. It is an issue but we cannot make it a big issue,” he said. To this, the interviewer asked what if somebody who asks everyone to learn Hindi becomes the PM candidate tomorrow. “Hindi imposition will be objected to by me, whoever does it. Language should be learned voluntarily, cannot be imposed,” Karti asserted. Karti also said that a natural advantage Congress had in the Karnataka election was not maintained in the recent four state elections. “If Telangana polls happened alone, it would have been a huge morale booster for us,” he said. When asked about changing TNCC chief K S Alagiri, Karti said he was given a five-year tenure. “Because he served there for a long time, maybe a new face can come. A leadership that can engage with the youth, people under 30, is a strong opinion among us. I expressed my opinion to the leadership,” Karti said.
