Congress sources say efforts are under way from AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s side to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi and DMK leader M.K. Stalin during Rahul’s Chennai visit on October 10.
Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to attend the ‘Voice of Students’ programme at the Island Grounds in Chennai that day. Kharge is said to want Rahul to speak with Stalin on issues including the Chief Election Commissioner matter and the possibility of bringing the DMK back into the INDIA alliance framework.
As part of the outreach, Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge reportedly held discussions with a former Tamil Nadu Congress president. Congress sources also claim that attempts are being made to facilitate the meeting through a DMK woman leader.
Party functionaries said the Congress leadership was surprised that the TVK did not attend a recent INDIA alliance meeting in Delhi, even as parties such as the MDMK and VCK—described as being in the TVK alliance—were present. They added that Kharge believes a Rahul–Stalin meeting could strengthen the INDIA alliance in national politics ahead of the Lok Sabha election.
However, the same sources said Tamil Nadu Congress leaders Manickam Tagore and MP Praveen Chakravarthy are working on arrangements for Rahul to meet Chief Minister Vijay, citing Congress participation in the TVK cabinet. A meeting with Stalin, they said, is not yet confirmed.
