Notice to Karti Chidambaram: State unit ‘not authorised’, matter set to die soon

As per sources, the notice could be a bid to edge out Karti, the son of veteran Congress leader P Chidambaram, from the race for the PCC president’s post in Tamil Nadu. Current PCC chief K S Alagiri was appointed just before the 2019 Lok Sabha election for a tenure of three years, and is on an extension as the party has so far not been able to find a face acceptable to all.

Incidentally, even as news of the show cause notice to Karti – sent three days ago – made waves, neither Alagiri nor the head of the disciplinary committee, K R Ramasamy, divulged details of it openly. When contacted, Alagiri said he could not comment since it was an “internal matter” of the party. Karti, meanwhile, denied receiving any notice.

Sources said the high command intervened when it was pointed out that the state unit could not issue a notice or take disciplinary action against an AICC member. The matter is expected to be put to rest after Karti meets the central leadership later this week.

The controversy erupted following Karti’s recent interview with Tamil news channel Thanthi TV, where his implicit critique of the Congress leadership and inadvertent praise of Modi’s capabilities drew the ire of the party’s disciplinary committee. “In today’s reality of propaganda, I would say that nobody is a match for Modi,” Karti said in the interview.

In his 39-minute interview, when asked about who would be the Congress’s PM candidate, Karti said deliberations were on. “I feel that if you are projecting a PM candidate against Modi, it should be done early. I do not know if we could match their propaganda machinery if we announced our PM candidate at the last minute, even if you brought a popular actor or cricket player to that position. Because Modi’s propaganda has been happening for a long time. ‘Have your life improved or not in the last decade?’ should be the question we ask the people,” Karti said.

Asked whether Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge could be a match for Modi, he said: “In today’s reality of propaganda, I would say that nobody is a match for Modi.”

Asked about Rahul, he said: “Tough, if you take their propaganda machinery, and the natural advantage (to Modi) as Prime Minister. But defeating the BJP is still possible, I believe,” he said.

“If we follow the electoral arithmetic and handle political messaging properly, the BJP can be defeated, despite Modi’s popularity. But if you ask me a name as powerful as Modi, I cannot give you a name immediately. If you ask the average Congress cadres, they wish that Rahul Gandhi should lead the party. The INDIA bloc suggesting Kharge’s name may also have tactical reasons… In a personality war, Modi cannot be defeated, in my understanding. But in a political battle or one about issues, victory is ours,” he said.

A senior TNCC leader said: “The remarks were definitely not in good taste. Particularly, the underestimation of Rahul Gandhi’s prowess cannot be tolerated by the party cadre. The notice was meant to uphold party discipline and send a message that deviations from the party’s ideology and leadership will not be spared.”