Rahul Gandhi meets TN CM Vijay to cement alliance
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met TVK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay at his suburban Neelankarai residence on Saturday, party sources said.
Gandhi spent about an hour with Vijay, and the two discussed several political issues.
Later, they visited Bask by Coffee, a cafe in the neighbourhood and reportedly had a Cappuccino, Tiramisu, cookies and coffee.
Neelankarai is a posh, quiet locality near the beach on the city outskirts, close to the East Coast Road.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha then went to a hotel in the city. In the evening, Gandhi travelled to the sprawling Island Grounds for the youth outreach programme, Chhatron Ki Goonj (Maanavargalin Kural).
According to a police official, access to the Chhatron Ki Goonj is restricted to QR code entry, segregating gender entry corridors and completely excluding the general public from the event to ensure law and order control.
Though the party has not issued an official statement on the meetings, party sources say the two leaders discussed cementing long-term political cooperation within their newly formed State alliance.
The talks covered structural alignment and coordinating governance policies between the Congress and the ruling TVK administration, as well as youth-centric issues such as unemployment, education reforms, and local opposition to the NEET examination.
The conversation also touched upon opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and allegations of voter roll discrepancies.
After the interaction, Rahul Gandhi and Vijay stepped out of his Neelankarai residence together and, instead of parting at the gates, walked together, surrounded by heavy multi-tier security and large crowds of cheering supporters, a senior functionary in the TVK said.
Later, speaking to reporters, TNCC chief Manickam Tagore said the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam was part of the India alliance.
“The TVK is already part of the India bloc. There is no need for a formal, separate announcement regarding their entry, as the alliance’s growth and cooperation in Tamil Nadu are already evident,” Tagore said.
