A five-member Congress fact-finding committee appointed by the party high command to review Assembly election work has triggered internal opposition in Tamil Nadu. The panel is said to be planning to collect feedback from party members across all 234 constituencies.
In the recently concluded Assembly election, the Congress contested 28 seats and lost in 23. To identify the reasons for the setbacks, the leadership formed a committee that includes former MP Jayakumar.
The committee held a meeting at Sathyamurthy Bhavan in Chennai the day before yesterday. During the meeting, a scuffle reportedly broke out between supporters of former North Chennai East district president Thiraviyam and those backing the current president Madharma Kani, before party functionaries intervened.
With the panel scheduled to hear views from South Chennai district office-bearers today, some leaders have argued that consultations should be confined to the 23 constituencies where Congress candidates were defeated. They warn that holding meetings in other seats could intensify factional disputes and lead to further clashes.
Party sources also said the committee has sought support from the leadership for travel fuel costs and facilities such as a separate room at Sathyamurthy Bhavan if it is to cover all 234 constituencies—another factor that has added to the pushback within the party.
