Churning in TN politics underway? Former Union minister GK Vasan may quit Congress

, Nov 1: The

was preparing for a fresh crisis in

after its leader GK Vasan, a former Union

, threatened to quit the party saying its Working Committee was acting against the interests of its Tamil Nadu unit.

Vasan said he would make an announcement on his next move on November 3. His supporters, however, wanted the former shipping minister to revive the Tamil Manila Congress, which was founded by his later father GK Moopanar. The party was merged with the Congress in 2002 after Moopanar's death in the preceding year.

Vasan's comments came just a couple of days after BS Ganadesikan, an aide of the former, quit as the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president over differences with the All India Congress Committee. Gnanandesikan's resignation is seen as a move to move away from the Congress.

Opposition in Tamil Nadu is sensing an opportunity after Jayalalithaa's ouster

The conviction and subsequent ouster of Jayalalithaa from the state's chief minister's post in connection to corruption has encouraged the opponent parties to try their luck afresh. With the state elections less than two years away and the Congress looking a sinking ship across the nation, politicians like Vasan are perhaps rethinking their politics from a new perspective.

Recently, old foes in Tamil Nadu politics, namely, Stalin of DMK and Vaiko of MDMK shared the stage in the wedding of the granddaughter of PMK's Ramadoss and close observers of the state politics believe there is a churning underway with the ruling AIADMK facing an identity crisis in the absence of Jayalalithaa at the helm of the administration.

Coming back to Vasan's threat to quit, the move to revive the TMC and get away from the beleaguered Congress, which is also seen to be against the Tamil interests, could earn him more friends in the coming days. It will be a big blow for the national party though in a state where it is out of power for nearly 50 years now.

Oneindia News