Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay returned to Chennai without meeting Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi during his visit to New Delhi, prompting speculation over why the interaction did not take place despite the Congress being a key ally of the ruling coalition in Tamil Nadu.
Earlier reports had suggested that no appointment had been scheduled between Vijay and the Congress leadership during his visit to the national capital. Sources had indicated that a meeting between Vijay and Rahul Gandhi could potentially be arranged at a later date.
However, Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty offered an explanation for why the meeting did not materialise.
6 மணிக்கு மேல் பிஸி#ChiefMinister | #JosephVijay | #RahulGandhi | #Congress | #Newsupdate | #TamilJanam pic.twitter.com/aJ19bn9afH
— Tamil Janam (@TamilJanamNews) May 28, 2026
According to Praveen Chakravarty, Chief Minister Vijay had sought an appointment to meet Rahul Gandhi after 6 PM on 28 May 2026. However, Rahul Gandhi was reportedly occupied after that time and was therefore unable to allocate a slot for the meeting.
Vijay had travelled to New Delhi on 27 May 2026 for his first official visit to the national capital after assuming office as Chief Minister. During the visit, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raised several issues concerning Tamil Nadu, including the Mekedatu dam project, the arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities, and the controversy surrounding the Tamil invocation song.
The Chief Minister returned to Chennai without holding any meeting with the Congress high command, despite the Congress being among the parties supporting the TVK-led government in Tamil Nadu.
While reports had initially suggested that scheduling constraints and Vijay’s travel plans were among the reasons the meeting could not be arranged, Chakravarty’s statement indicated that Rahul Gandhi’s engagements after 6 PM on 28 May 2026 were the immediate reason why the requested meeting did not take place.
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