After remark on DMK event, Elangovan stripped of post

The DMK has said its Rajya Sabha MP T K S Elangovan has been relieved of the post of secretary, public relations, a party jargon that denotes the position of spokesperson. The main opposition party in Tamil Nadu assembly, however, did not formally assign any reason for relieving him from the position he has been holding for quite some time now.

Party sources told PTI Tuesday that he was removed from the post after he told a television channel that former Congress president Sonia Gandhi was likely to attend a function to unveil the statue of late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi at party headquarters on November 15. Statue unveiling event was still being "discussed" by the party top leadership and no decision was taken. When that was the situation, disseminating inputs that formed part of the discussion was viewed as not appropriate, sources added.

It is not clear if Elangovan could interact with the media notwithstanding his removal from the post of public relations secretary since his name continues to be part of party authorised media panels. Reacting to this, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President Su Thirunavukkarasar said he was not aware if Sonia Gandhi was invited or not. However, he said he was given to understand that top leadership of his party would be invited to the statue unveiling function.

A release by DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan late Monday merely stated that Elangovan was "relieved from the responsibility of secretary, public relations." The move came hours after the party named him Monday part of a seven-member panel authorised to give interviews to the media. On October 13, the DMK had also named Elangovan first in a list of 23 members authorised to take part in television discussions and he was also part of a three-member "public relations committee". Naming of the panels was part of a "streamlining exercise" to liaison with the media, party said.