Staff Reporter

PUDUCHERRY: Pradesh Congress Committee chief A. V. Subramanian has confirmed that the party was in touch with former Chief Minister N. Rangasamy to persuade him to support the Congress candidate in the Union Territory. He also said that efforts are already on to garner the support of Puducherry Munnetra Congress, a splinter group of the party.

Mr. Rangasamy had distanced from the party affairs after he was removed from the Chief Minister’s post, he said adding “it was natural for him to be disillusioned.” However, he expressed optimism that the former Chief Minister would campaign for the party in the parliamentary elections.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, the PCC chief said he had spoken to Mr. Rangasamy explaining the reason for not sending him an invitation during All India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Puducherry recently. He said invitations were not sent to any of the Congress functionaries during Rahul’s visit.

Admitting that the former Chief Minister has influence in the Assembly segments of Indira Nagar, Thattanchavady and Kadirgamam, he said the party had given a free hand to his supporters in the selection of candidates for filling up vacancies in the district level committees of the Congress.

“Infighting is nothing new to the Congress party. But at the time of election they will bury the differences and work unitedly,” he said.

Mr. Subramanian admitted that a Minister in the Congress government had held talks with PMC chief P. Kannan to get his support for the Congress candidate.

The Congress high command had short listed three candidates for the Puducherry Lok Sabha seat and the name would be cleared in a day or two.

Reacting to the remarks of secretary of Puducherry unit of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam A. Anbalagan that infighting within the Congress will work against the Congress candidate in Puducherry, he said the statement was made to “hide the differences of opinion between the two AIADMK MLAs in Puducherry.”