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The Tamil Maanila Congress on Monday decided to merge with the Congress party, six years after it broke away from it.
TMC chief G K Vasan and All India Congress Committee Secretary Ramesh Chennithala announced this in New Delhi at a press conference.
However, Vasan and Chennithala said that a formal merger would take place on August one in the presence of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the venue for the merger would be announced later.
The TMC decision was conveyed by a delegation of the TMC led by its chief Vasan, which met Sonia Gandhi, Chennithala told reporters.
"Today all the leaders of TMC met Gandhi and have taken a decision to merge with the Congress party," Chennithala said emerging out of the over 90-minute meeting with Gandhi at her official residence.
Vasan son of late G K Moopanar, the founder of the TMC, who broke away from the Congress six years ago on the issue of party's alliance with AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, told reporters that they explained to Gandhi that merger was 'most needed' to strengthen the party in the state.
Asked if there was any precondition, both Chennithala and Vasan asserted that there were no conditions for the merger of the two parties.
"It was the cherished desire of the late Moopanar which has now been fulfilled," Chennithala said.
To a question whether there would be a revamp in the TNCC and who would be heading it, Chennithala said all such issues would be decided by the Congress chief after the merger.
"Our first priority was the merger which we have completed," they said.
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