TNCC appoints observers to ‘rein in rebels’

The appointment of observers for all the 54 district units by the TNCC is seen as an attempt to rein in the 21 district presidents who have been refusing to cooperate with the party’s current membership drive.

Apparently, the observers have been empowered to take charge of the membership drive if the dissenting district chiefs continue to defy the party diktat. These 21 district presidents, most of them supporters of AICC secretary G.K. Vasan, have not even bothered to collect membership forms from the party headquarters.

Party sources said the Vasan camp refused to go ahead with the enrolment because the membership cards had the signatures of TNCC president S. Balakrishnan and working president E.V.K.S. Elangovan. ‘‘Since all our efforts failed, the party high command gave its consent to appoint election observers,’’ the party leader said.