A fresh internal tussle appears to be brewing within the Tamil Nadu Congress, with differences between Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai and Rajya Sabha MP Praveen Chakravarty reportedly coming out into the open.
According to a report by Junior Vikatan, the friction between the two sides intensified after Chakravarty reacted sharply when journalists questioned him about remarks made by Selvaperunthagai. Chakravarty reportedly responded angrily, asking, “Selvaperunthagai? Who is he?”
The exchange has since triggered a war of words between supporters of the two leaders, with each side offering a different account of the dispute.
Selvaperunthagai Supporters: ‘For Praveen, It’s All About The Post’
Speaking about the controversy, supporters of Selvaperunthagai alleged that Chakravarty was primarily driven by political positions and had deliberately targeted the Tamil Nadu Congress chief.
They rejected the suggestion that Selvaperunthagai had acted out of personal or political rivalry and argued that he was not someone who would betray a friend for the sake of a post.
According to them, Chakravarty himself had previously released an audio recording concerning a conversation with a former DMK minister despite their friendship. They further alleged that Chakravarty had worked towards breaking the DMK-led alliance and that developments following the Assembly election had eventually resulted in that objective being achieved.
The supporters also claimed that Chakravarty had now secured a Rajya Sabha position with the support of TVK chief Vijay and was consequently displaying his loyalty towards the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
They alleged that, in doing so, Chakravarty was even willing to criticise and mock Selvaperunthagai without considering the embarrassment such attacks could potentially cause Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The supporters claimed that for people like Chakravarty, neither the Congress party nor Rahul Gandhi was the primary consideration and that securing political positions was more important.
They further alleged that Chakravarty was deliberately attempting to humiliate Selvaperunthagai for this reason.
The supporters added that, given the circumstances, Selvaperunthagai would naturally take steps to defend his dignity and political standing.
Two Camps Emerging Within Tamil Nadu Congress?
The dispute comes against the backdrop of differing positions within the Tamil Nadu Congress over the party’s political alignment with the TVK-led alliance.
Chakravarty, a Rajya Sabha member and a close associate of Rahul Gandhi, has reportedly played a significant role in efforts to bring the Congress closer to the TVK-led alliance.
On the other hand, Selvaperunthagai has publicly criticised the state Congress leadership over the issue of the alliance and the reported discussion surrounding a possible prime ministerial candidate.
According to Junior Vikatan, Congress leaders supporting the TVK alliance claim that Chakravarty had been instrumental in pursuing the alliance from the beginning. They alleged that this had angered Selvaperunthagai, whom they described as being supportive of the DMK-led alliance.
These leaders claimed that the dispute over the prime ministerial candidate had subsequently provided Selvaperunthagai with an opportunity to openly criticise the Tamil Nadu Congress leadership.
They further alleged that Selvaperunthagai was now attempting to use the dispute to create divisions within the Tamil Nadu Congress and portray the TVK-led ‘Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance’ as being anti-Dalit.
However, these allegations have been rejected by Selvaperunthagai’s supporters, who have instead accused Chakravarty of prioritising his political position over the interests of the Congress and Rahul Gandhi.
Delhi Leadership Reportedly Monitoring Developments
Some Congress leaders in Delhi, meanwhile, have reportedly acknowledged receiving information about the Tamil Nadu unit functioning along two different camps.
According to Junior Vikatan, these leaders said the central leadership was not keen on intervening immediately, given that there was still considerable time before the parliamentary election.
At the same time, they reportedly said that Rahul Gandhi had directed the leadership to work towards bringing together the two factions within the Tamil Nadu Congress.
Whether the two sides will be able to function together in the coming months, however, remains a question.
The growing differences have now raised a larger political question within the party: if the Tamil Nadu Congress splits into two camps, who stands to benefit?
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