Rahul Gandhi arrives in Chennai to meet Vijay, hear students at ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’

• Rahul Gandhi arrived in Chennai for a lunch meeting with Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and the sixth edition of Congress’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme.

• The meeting comes after TVK joined the INDIA bloc and its alliance was formally named the ‘Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance’.

• Thousands of registered students are expected at the Island Grounds interaction, with education, jobs and NEET among the issues on the agenda.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrived in Chennai on Saturday for the sixth edition of Congress’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme or ‘Maanavargalin Kural’, as presented in Tamil.

The Leader of Opposition will also meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay before the student interaction expected to centre on employment, entrance examinations and access to education.

After arriving from Delhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha left for Vijay’s residence in Neelankarai, where the two were scheduled to meet over lunch before Gandhi’s evening engagement at the Island Grounds.

The meeting is their first since the TVK-led coalition was formally named the ‘Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance’ and TVK joined the INDIA bloc. It also follows the ruling party’s victories in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls.

TVK, Congress, the Indian Union Muslim League and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi are constituents of the alliance. Gandhi had attended Vijay’s swearing-in as chief minister on 10 May.

Later on Saturday, Gandhi is scheduled to attend the sixth edition of ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’, the Congress’s youth outreach programme, presented in Tamil as ‘Maanavargalin Kural’.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Manickam Tagore said between 10,000 and 20,000 students were expected to participate. Admission would be limited to those who had registered and received a QR code.

Tagore said the discussion would address concerns affecting students in Tamil Nadu, including the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, unemployment, education for girls and women, and the Union government’s education policy.

“It is going to be an interaction session,” he said.

The programme is designed to allow students to put questions directly to Gandhi, with organisers emphasising a two-way discussion rather than a conventional political address. Education costs and uncertainty over career opportunities are also among the concerns students are expected to raise.

Congress and its student wings have promoted the event through banners, flyers and digital posters across Chennai and college campuses. Campaign material carries both the Hindi and Tamil names of the programme, alongside messages encouraging students to speak about their experiences and concerns.

One poster reads: “You talk. Rahul listens.”

Security has been heightened across the city for Gandhi’s engagements and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled programmes on Sunday, 11 October.

According to police, the arrangements include a five-tier security deployment involving about 15,000 personnel under Chennai Police Commissioner A. Amalraj. The cover extends to the Island Grounds and routes used for VVIP movement.

Entry to the student programme will be through QR-code verification, with separate access corridors for men and women. The general public will not be admitted, a police official said.

Police and intelligence teams have also stepped up vehicle inspections, surveillance and checks at lodges in central Chennai and along transit routes, according to sources.

Gandhi is scheduled to leave the Island Grounds for Chennai airport at around 8.30 p.m. and take a 9.40 p.m. flight back to Delhi.

With agency inputs