GK Vasan quits Congress, to form own party in Tamil Nadu - Livemint

G.K. Vasan announced at a crowded press conference in Chennai on Monday that he and his supporters have decided to resign from the Congress.

New Delhi: In what could be an early sign of growing turmoil within the Congress, former minister G.K. Vasan broke away from the party on Monday over the functioning of the national leadership and its handling of the Tamil Nadu state unit’s affairs, saying that he will soon launch his own political outfit.

“We have taken this decision after getting the feedback of lakhs of Congress cadres in Tamil Nadu and also leaders of Congress party in Tamil Nadu. We have sent in our resignations,” he announced at a press conference in Chennai, flanked by former state unit president B.S. Gnanadesikan , who quit the post last week, and several other party leaders present at the venue.

According to the Congress, none of its central or state units had received Vasan’s resignation or of any of his supporters.

Vasan said the party’s leadership did not give the state unit the importance it deserved, particularly in the aftermath of its debacle in the April-May general election when the party contested 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state but drew a blank.

Vasan’s move was a repeat of what his father, G.K. Moopanar , did 18 years ago when he broke away from the Congress and floated the Tamil Manila Congress (TMC) in 1996. However, after his death, TMC merged with the Congress in 2002.

Several hours after Vasan made his announcement, the Congress said in Delhi that he has been expelled from the party over inappropriate comments against the party and anti-party activities.

“This is a reflection on the individual concerned (Vasan). When the Congress was in power you were with it but no longer...till the end efforts were taken so that he does not leave the party, but it did not work out,” Mukul Wasnik , general secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu, said, adding that Vasan had been expelled from the party.

Experts say that while the development may not have an immediate fallout for the Congress because of its withered base in Tamil Nadu, it questions the effectiveness of the top leadership, which is already under a scanner over its inability to revive the party.

“Vasan’s break-away is symptomatic of the larger malaise that the Congress party is going through. There is obviously a serious leadership crisis. While such voices were suppressed earlier, such simmering differences are now coming out in open in the form of such excuses,” said N. Bhaskara Rao , a New Delhi-based political analyst.

Meanwhile, Vasan has said that the name and symbol of his political party will be disclosed at a meeting to be held in Tiruchirappalli shortly.

PTI contributed to the story.

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