Rahul Gandhi meets Tamil Nadu CM Vijay, discusses political cooperation

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C Joseph Vijay at his residence in Neelankarai, Chennai, with the two leaders discussing political issues and possible long-term cooperation, party sources said.

Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, spent about an hour with Vijay at his residence in the city's suburbs. According to party sources, their discussions covered political coordination, governance priorities and youth-related issues, including unemployment, education reforms and opposition to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

The leaders also discussed opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and allegations of discrepancies in electoral rolls, sources said.

Following the meeting, Gandhi and Vijay left the residence together amid heavy security and cheering supporters, a senior TVK functionary said.

Later, the two leaders reportedly visited a neighbourhood cafe, Bask by Coffee, where they had cappuccino, tiramisu, cookies and coffee.

There was no official statement on the meeting.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) chief Manickam Tagore later told reporters that the TVK was already part of the INDIA bloc, the opposition 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.

Gandhi was scheduled to attend a youth outreach programme, ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ (Maanavargalin Kural), at Island Grounds in Chennai later in the evening.

A police official said entry to the event was restricted to QR-code holders, with separate entry corridors for men and women and no access for the general public, as part of measures to maintain law and order.