Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C Joseph Vijay over lunch at his Neelankarai residence in Chennai on Saturday.
The meeting came amid Opposition protests in New Delhi over the "vote chori" issue and demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Gandhi has repeatedly criticised the Election Commission over electoral rolls and what the Congress has described as irregularities in the electoral process.
The meeting took place ahead of Gandhi's youth outreach programme, Chhatron Ki Goonj, also known as Maanavargalin Kural, at Chennai's Island Grounds later in the day.
The meeting was the first interaction between Gandhi and Vijay since the TVK-led Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance (SSV) was formally named and TVK joined the INDIA bloc.
The meeting also came a day after the ruling alliance's victories in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls. The SSV alliance comprises TVK, Congress, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK).
Following their meeting at Vijay's residence in Neelankarai, the two leaders travelled together to a café in Palavakkam, where they had coffee, Italian dessert tiramisu and posed for selfies with patrons. The meeting marked their first interaction since the formation of the TVK-led Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance in Tamil Nadu.
According to reports, Vijay and Rahul Gandhi discussed the current political situation and the alliance's future plans. The meeting also comes amid discussions within the alliance over its political direction ahead of future state and national elections.
After lunch, Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to address students at Island Grounds in Chennai as part of the Congress's 'Maanavargalin Kural' (Voice of Students) campaign. The programme focuses on issues affecting young people, including unemployment, examination-related irregularities, education costs and concerns surrounding competitive examinations.
Meanwhile, Vijay is set to share the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, October 11, during the inauguration of a section of Chennai Metro Phase II. The Prime Minister is scheduled to inaugurate the 14.64-km Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch and travel by metro with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.
Vijay's meetings with Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi on consecutive days have drawn attention to his political positioning. While the Congress is a key ally supporting his government in Tamil Nadu, Vijay has also maintained a measured approach towards the BJP-led government at the Centre.
Although the TVK has identified the BJP as its ideological opponent, Vijay has largely avoided direct confrontations with Modi. His upcoming metro ride with the Prime Minister, following his meeting with Rahul Gandhi, highlights the political balancing act facing the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister as he manages both his alliance commitments and his responsibilities as head of the state government.
