NEW DELHI: Demanding equal political and civil rights for the Eelam Tamils, Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin on Thursday used his Delhi visit to seek the Centre’s approval to provide essential commodities and life-saving medicines to the Sri Lankan community in the wake of the economic crisis in the island nation.
His three-day visit to Delhi, however, marks the beginning of his party DMK’s growing national presence with invitations sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and all other party leaders for the inauguration of the DMK’s first office building here on April 2.
“The DMK is inaugurating its party office in the national capital on April 2 and has invited leaders from various parties, including the BJP and the Congress,” party MP Kanimozhi told the media, speaking about the chief minister’s visit.Stalin, who spent some time in Parliament House on Thursday, presented a memorandum on various state-related issues, including economic, besides asking for ensuring equal political and civil rights to the Eelam Tamils. He sought the Centre’s approval to provide essential commodities and life-saving medicines to the Sri Lankan Tamils.
Earlier in the morning, he met Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Parliament. Gandhi went to meet him in the DMK office in Parliament and said she came there just to say ‘Vanakkam’ to him and will meet him again during his party office’s inauguration on April 2. Stalin greeted her with a shawl.
This is the first time that Stalin has taken time off from Chennai to spend three days in the national capital meeting with the political class from across the spectrum. Having timed his visit with the ongoing budget session, he seems to be reaching out to parties beyond his official allies.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has often chosen to spend time in Delhi during Parliament sessions reaching out to political allies and media. In the context of Banerjee having initiated a move to get all opposition parties together against the ruling BJP for 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Stalin seems to be set on making his party’s national presence felt.
While Stalin spent some hours with his party MPs in the Central Hall, he also met BJP chief J P Nadda. He is scheduled to meet a slew of other party leaders over the next two days.
On Saturday, statues of the stalwarts of the Dravidian movement, C N Annadurai and K Karunanidhi, both former chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, will also be unveiled on the new premises of the DMK office, named ‘Anna-Kalaignar Arivalayam’.