Tamil Nadu: It’s Common For Rahul To Go Solo
Though the DMK contested the Assembly as a full-fledged ally of the DMK in 27 seats, Rahul Gandhi and DMK President M K Stalin never shared a single stage during the campaign: Reports
CHENNAI: Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, not meeting Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay when he visits Tamil Nadu on Saturday might have made many wonder if all is well with the Congress-TVK alliance. But for Rahul Gandhi it is not something new.
Treading his own path and having his rendezvous with party leaders and cadre exclusively without calling on the leader of the major alliance party or interacting with those party leaders while visiting Chennai has happened in the past, too. One example is his campaign tour of the State in the 2026 Assembly elections.
Though the DMK contested the Assembly as a full-fledged ally of the DMK in 27 seats, Rahul Gandhi and DMK President M K Stalin never shared a single stage during the campaign. There was only one joint campaign meeting by Stalin and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
When Rahul Gandhi came down to canvass votes for Congress candidates, he went to places in Chennai, Thiruvallur, Ranipet and Trichy districts when Stalin was traversing in another direction.
Much earlier, in September 2009, when Rahul Gandhi was on a three-day visit to Tamil, he held several meetings with Youth Congress leaders and cadre. He even had a meeting with the media in Chennai. But he did not even make a courtesy call to the DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi.
When he was asked about it at a media conference in a hotel, he said that he had great respect for Karunanidhi and that his party was very much an ally of the DMK.