Congress Plenary Session Ad Leaves Out Kamarajar, TN Congress Leader Peter Alphonse Condemns Party

The Indian National Congress is holding its 85th plenary session this year at Chhattisgarh’s Nava Raipur from 24-26 February, 2023.

The plenary session is a meeting of key office bearers of the party from across the country. During the session, the party decides on its course of action and functioning with the All India Congress Committee (AICC) setting the agenda.

In light of this, tbe Congress party had released full paper advertisements in all leading newspaper and magazines of the country.

In this advertisement, pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr. BR Ambedkar where present in the first row while pictures of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Sarojini Naidu, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and PV Narasimha Rao were placed in the second row.

At the bottom, pictures of Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Mallikharjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi were placed with the party president Kharge’s photo slightly bigger than the rest.

Many on social media pointed out the omission of ‘Karma Veerar’ K. Kamaraj, one of the tallest leaders of the Indian National Congress. He was widely acknowledged as the “Kingmaker” in Indian politics during the 1960s. He is known for effecting the Kamaraj Plan in 1963 where he proposed that all senior Congress leaders should resign from their posts and devote themselves to organizational work for the re-vitalization of the Congress. After Nehru’s death in 1964, Kamaraj successfully navigated the party through turbulent times. As the president of INC, he refused to become the next Prime Minister himself and was instrumental in bringing to power two Prime Ministers, Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1964 and Nehru’s daughter Indira Gandhi 1966. After his fallout with Indira Gandhi he founded the Indian National Congress (Organization).

Peter Alphonse, senior Congress leader from Tamil Nadu who was made the Tamil Nadu State Minorities Commission Chairperson by the DMK government expressed his disappointment with the omission of Kamarajar, Babu Jagjivan Ram, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad among others.

“At least we should recognize the contribution of Islamic leaders to the freedom struggle and the Congress revolution. Perunthalaivar (Kamarajar) recognized the two Prime Ministers and protected the Congress. Annal Ambedkar was the protector of oppressed people. Babu Jagajeevan Ram is an unscrupulous Congressman.”, he said.

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