TN: GK Vasan says he won't contest Lok Sabha polls

Chennai: Pushed to the wall in the wake of his party’s failure to renew electoral pact with DMK in Tamil Nadu, Congress leader and Union Shipping Minister GK Vasan on Tuesday ruled himself out of the 24 April Lok Sabha polls. [caption id=“attachment_1429067” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Union Shipping Minister and Congress leader GK Vasan.[/caption] Vasan, who on Monday expressed his dismay over Congress delaying announcement on its poll strategy for Tamil Nadu, was the first leader to opt out of contest. “I am not contesting this election. I am one of the main campaigners who wants to ensure the victory of Congress candidates by touring all the 39 seats in the state”, Vasan whose effort to lure DMDK into Congress alliance failed to fructify told a press conference in Chennai. Asked why no party was willing to forge an electoral tie-up with Congress and whether it was left behind in the race, he described alliances forged for the coming Lok Sabha polls in various parts of the country including Tamil Nadu as “alliance of opportunism.” “This election has been an election of opportunism,” he said, adding those going by ‘certain waves as portrayed in the media’ will realise the truth after the polls. Asked about the prospects of his party facing elections alone, he said after a long time, the time had come for the party supporters to work for popularising Congress’ Hand symbol and vowed to himself tour all the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies. Such a situation had resulted in excitement among party workers, he claimed. The party had faced elections by itself earlier also like in 1977 and 1989 and its vote bank and number of votes polled had been only increasing with every election, Vasan claimed. The party’s poll plank would include reminding people of the ‘golden era’ of party veteran the late K Kamaraj’s rule besides highlighting the 10 year achievements of UPA since 2004. On the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils, which has become a rallying point among Tamil parties and pro-Tamil outfits against ruling Congress at the Centre, he recalled that he himself had taken up with Centre opposing training imparted to Sri Lankan defence personnel in the country besides the vexed Sri Lankan fishermen issue. Asked if there would be any post-poll alliance with DMK, he said only the Congress high command could decide on that. Party President Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi could address election rallies in the state, he said. PTI