Trichy: Rebel Congress leader and former union minister GK Vasan on Friday evening revived his father's Tamil Manila Congress after quitting the Congress earlier in November.
The rebel leader revived the party in the state 18 years after his father launched it in protest against the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao's decision to ally with J Jayalalithaa's AIADMK in the 1996 general elections.
The TMC was a big success and it even joined the United Front government led by HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral between 1996 and 1998. The TMC was merged with the Congress after Sonia Gandhi took charge as the president of the Congress.
After drawing a blank in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Congress is staring at a total decimation in Tamil Nadu. The 'top heavy' organization in the state is divided into several smaller factions led by more than half a dozen leaders.
While Vasan is known as a grassroot level leader, the rest are known as Delhi leaders of the Congress in Tamil Nadu. Vasan is opposed to former Union minister P Chidambaram, Manishankar Aiyar and many others.
J Jayalalithaa is out of power after being convicted in a corruption case. She can't even contest in the next elections. The DMK is facing internal rebellion and other smaller parties are also not in a good shape. The BJP is also trying to strengthen the party in Tamil Nadu keeping an eye on the next Assembly elections.
Vasan hopes that his father's name still sells in rural Tamil Nadu and he can be the king maker, if not the king. Vasan has one advantage which most Tamil party leaders lack. He is simple, very humble and listens to the people. He is relatively younger and understands the issues facing the state. The exit of Vasan from the Congress will surely affect the party in Tamil Nadu. Even the hardcore Congress leaders in the state are describing the party as a 'sinking ship'.
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