An unsparing critic of the incumbent TNCC chief since the day the latter took over the reins of Sathyamurthy Bhavan, Elangovan did not disappoint excitement-loving cadre when he said that Thirunavukkarasar should not have left the BJP. “I wish he returns to Vajpayee’s BJP. I fail to understand why a good leader left a good party. It is not too late even now. It would bode well for the Congress party if he returns to the BJP now,” said Elangovan.

Incidentally, anger did not get the better of Thirunavukkarasar, who, advised his predecessor to mind his future. A former Union minister of state in the previous BJP-led Centre, Thirunavukkarasar was in the thick of controversy last month after he had visited Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu out of the blue, which drew flak from the state Congressmen. Thirunavukkarasar who has been shuttling between the national capital and Chennai more frequently of late has been working overtime to keep controversies a safe distance away from him. So much so that he has been warming up to the DMK, unlike any other state Congress leader, understandably, to not be disliked by the Dravidian ally ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.