The congress party in Tamil Nadu is isolated and sidelined by all the other major parties in forging an alliance for the 2014 elections which is hardly a month away. DMK its former ally does not want congress as an ally . AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha says 'Oust congress to make India strong '. Until recently congress had a piggyback ride of these two Dravidian parties alternatively ,ever since the 1969 historical split in congress . It is worth mentioning even before the split in 1965 elections ,congress in Tamil Nadu lost power to DMK , due to price rice, anti Hindi agitations and strong anti incumbency factors.
Since then congress could not stage a come back in the state .The state was alternatively ruled by the two Dravidian giants . But until 1975 ,the congress in Tami Nadu had hopes of staging a strong come back. With the demise of the tall Tamil Nadu congress leader K.Kamaraj in 1975 ,the downward slide started for Tamil Nadu Congress .
After the 1969 split in Congress ,Kamaraj was on the side of the Congress identified as Congress (o) ,O indicated organisation . The other congress led by Indira Gandhi was known as Congress (I), I indiated Indira . The Indira congress was swept to power in 1971 with a massive two thirds majority at the national level .At the same election, DMK led by Karunanidhi almost routed Congress (o) in Tamil Nadu led by Kamaraj ,despite a strong alliance .
The congress high command started ignoring and neglecting the Tamil Nadu unit of the party from 1969 ,since the state unit was controlled by Congress (o) after the split in party and Congress (I) had no significant base in Tamil Nadu at that time .Neither was the high command interested in developing a strong base at the grass root level. It was also evident that as long as Kamaraj headed the congress (o) in Tamil Nadu ,it would be difficult for Congress (I) to make a headway in the state . The aversion for the Tamil Nadu state unit by Congress high command started from that point . All disgruntled elements in congress (o) of the Tamil Nadu unit were in congress (I). There was no leader worth mentioning or some one who could match the stature of Kamaraj .
Indira realised this and started a dialogue with Kamaraj before his death ,to bring all congressmen in Tamil Nadu together under her . Unfortunately before this could happen Kamaraj died . After Kamaraj the two factions of congress in Tamil Nadu merged . But had the merger took place when Kamaraj was alive ,it would have been different.But factionalism surfaced in Tamil Nadu congress and the in fighting was at its best . There was a void in Tamil Nadu congress after the death of Kamaraj .There was no powerful leader with grass root support . Leaders like C.Subramanyam ,O.V.Alagesan and others who were central ministers in Indira's cabinet lacked cadre support . The biggest mistake by congress was its failure to nurture a local leader with mass base .
The congress was heading the central government. The high command thought as long as they head the government at centre ,it does not matter who heads the local government in Tamil Nadu .The maximum they sought from Tamil Nadu was the support of 39 MP's ,no matter to which party they belong . They could get this by piggyback riding the Dravidian parties . Thus they started coaxing the regional parties at the expense of their own party to get the support of 39 MP's . This was utilised in the best possible way by wily politicians like Karunanidhi.
There was again a brief period of ascendency for the congress men in Tamil Nadu in 1996 ,when Moopanar broke away from Congress to float his own party called TMC (Tamil Manila Congress).In fact a young Moopanar was hand picked and groomed by Kamaraj to revamp Thanjavur congess in his days . Moopanar had differences with the then Prime Minister P.V.Nrasimha Rao over poll alliance with AIADMK .He then left congress and started his own party . During this period the TMC had a semblance to the congress (0) led by Kamaraj at the time of the split .
Unfortunately after Moopanar's demise ,TMC headed by his son G.K.Vasan decided to merge his party with the congress and became a Sonia loyalist .Since then the faction ridden Tamil Nadu congress is on the slope down and never made any serious attempt to build the party in the state .Neither did the high command allow any one from Tamil Nadu congress to grow in stature .
I believe the biggest mistake TMC and Vasan did was to merge his party with the National congress . Congress in TN had no identity after the death of Kamaraj. Whatever identity it had as TMC was lost with the merger. For all practical purposes the people of TN considered TMC as state congress party. But by merging the party with the Indian National congress ,the congressmen in TN lost whatever little say ,they had in national politics.
Just an year after Moopanar floated TMC ,Mamta Bannerji who was also a member of P.V. Narasimha Rao cabinet dissatisfied with congress functioning in West Bengal ,left congress and floated her own party Trinamul Congress also known as TMC now. She maintained her identity and refused to merge with congress . One can see how powerful a leader she is now . She started her party as an alternative to the West Bengal Congress unit because she claimed the WB unit is a stooge to CPI-M and wanted to clean WB congress . She meant business and today she has replaced the CPI-M government at WB.
Had TMC led by G.K.Vasan refused to merge with congress ,the erstwhile TMC would have been as powerful as Mamta's party and perhaps would have brought back congress rule in TN and replaced the Dravidian parties . The congress high command nurtured both Dravidian parties than their own party . It is a grave mistake committed by the congress. Also congress high command never wanted any powerful local leaders. They all the time tried to stymie the growth of any leader at local level . Wherever the party had powerful local leaders,the party had fared well . Congress has in a systemic way stalled the growth of a local leader . They fail to understand it is a question of local pride . Why Mamta is popular ? .It is a local pride . Perhaps the dynastic rule in congress give them a scare when a powerful leader surfaces .
Another blunder by congress is distancing itself from local sensitive issues . I am sure congress parties stand would have been different if they had a stake in the state on many sensitive issues . They care a hoot about local sensitive issues because it is not going to affect their party ,since they have no presence in the state. This is very evident on the stand of Karnataka congress on Cauvery row. The congress high command does not want to antagonise the Karnataka unit of congress ,because they have a stake in Karnataka.
If congress continues to treat state units this way ,soon congress will be wiped out in many states . The best part is despite severe drubbing in TN congress has not learnt any lessons . Congress in TN is literally in a quandary.Now it is very clear all parties in TN shun congress .Many electorates will also shun congress in TN .With regional parties becoming stronger all over the country , the only way congress can make a come back in state is through the Moopanar or Mamata way . As long as the party high command ignores local leaders and local sentiments ,Congress in states would soon vanish .Another recent example is the plight of congress in Andhra Pradesh . The only solace is Rahul Gandhi wants to strengthen party base in TN. But will he succeed ?
