Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Congress president E V K S Elangovan caused a major controversy by seeking the resignation of former union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti from the party. Earlier, amidst the drama surrounding the resignation of former union minister Jayanthi Natarajan from the party, Elangovan had issued a hard-hitting statement saying her exit would help cleanse the party. However, he did not stop at that, proceeding to target Chidambaram and his son.“Not just that, if one more person quits along with his vaari su (heir), it will mean salvation for Congress,” he said in a not so veiled reference to Chidambaram and Karti.
“A senior leader who ran away from contesting elections is practising in the Supreme Court earning millions of rupees after the Congress lost power at the Centre. We don't need such self-serving leaders. They can also quit the party,” Elangovan said in a reference to Chidambaram who declined to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and has since resumed his legal practice.
Upset over his remarks, the party leadership has summoned Elangovan to New Delhi and is likely to take action against him. The decision to discipline Elangovan was taken after Chidambaram met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to convey his anguish over the state party chief 's “derogatory”references, the sources said. Rahul is said to have expressed “grave discomfiture and deep disapproval” of Elangovan's remarks.
Sonia Gandhi called Elangovan to admonish him soon after she got to know about the latter's vitriol against the former finance minister.“Nobody has given him any mandate to make such statements against a senior leader like Chidmabaram. He is a trustee of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, which indicates his close association with the Gandhi family and the trust they repose in him,” a close associate of Chidambaram, seeking anonymity, quoted her as having said.
