No move to merge TMC with Cong.: Vasan

 At a time when many senior leaders are quitting the TMC feeding the speculation that it might merge with its parent organisation, the Congress, party leader G.K. Vasan made it clear that it would strive hard to provide an alternative to the Dravidian majors in the State politics.
Addressing a public meeting in Tiruvarur on Saturday, Mr. Vasan said there was no basis to the reports that he had visited Delhi and Mumbai in connection with a merger. “I have friends in the Congress and I continue to meet them,” he said, adding that the post of TNCC president was remaining vacant for two months.

On Sunday, former MLA Vidiyal S. Sekar, who is also the general secretary of the TMC, said in a statement that his party had no plans of joining the Congress. “The TMC was launched not for the purpose of a single Assembly election. We have moved far away from the Congress and our aim is to function as a regional outfit with a vision of a national party,” Mr. Sekar said.

Though many senior leaders, including S.R. Balasubramoniyan, Peter Alphonse and Vellore C. Gnanasekaran had either joined the AIADMK or gone back to the Congress, Mr. Sekar said the TMC was not depending on any individual for its survival.

However, a very senior leader of the party refused to share the optimism of Mr. Vasan, who had said that his party was vibrant and he had already visited 30 districts to meet the local leaders.

“I agree that he continues to travel and meets leaders. But the mood of the cadres is at an all-time low. We do not know what is in his mind. He must reveal it at least to senior leaders ,” the leader said.

“We will decide on alliance partners when the date for local body polls are announced,” Mr. Vasan said in the public meeting.