Chennai, May 27 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Wednesday embarked on his first official visit to New Delhi after assuming office, with a packed schedule that includes meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Union Ministers and top Congress leaders, underlining the growing political significance of the state’s newly formed coalition government.
Vijay assumed office as Chief Minister on May 10 after his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single largest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The government was formed with the support of the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), VCK and IUML, marking the state’s first coalition government in decades.
According to official sources, Vijay will leave Chennai for Delhi in a private aircraft for a two-day visit aimed at securing greater Central support for Tamil Nadu’s development and financial requirements.
As part of the visit, the Chief Minister is scheduled to inaugurate a statue of classical Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, a move seen as symbolically highlighting Tamil cultural identity at the national level.
Later in the evening, Vijay is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Prime Minister’s residence between 4.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. During the meeting, the Chief Minister is likely to submit a detailed memorandum covering a wide range of issues concerning Tamil Nadu.
Sources said the memorandum would include requests relating to the Chennai Metro Rail expansion project, pending GST compensation dues, early release of the state’s share under various Central schemes, allocation of educational funds under PMSRI, and timely supply of fertilisers, including urea, for the upcoming kharif cultivation season.
The Chief Minister is also expected to raise the long-pending fishermen issue involving arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy, seek the Centre’s intervention against Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu reservoir project across the Cauvery River, and press for faster financial clearances for infrastructure and welfare projects.
Apart from the Prime Minister, Vijay is also expected to meet President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the visit.
Political circles are also closely watching reports that Vijay may hold discussions with Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, signalling continued coordination within the broader anti-BJP alliance framework.
–IANS
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