Chennai, November 15 (Yes Punjab News)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will travel to New Delhi on Monday to attend the official launch of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s autobiography, amid speculation that he may also seek a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the contentious Mekedatu dam project.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Manickam Tagore confirmed Vijay’s participation in the November 16 event, scheduled to be held at a hotel in the national capital. Members of Sonia Gandhi’s family and other invitees are also expected to attend. The autobiography reached bookstores on November 10, ahead of its formal launch.
The visit will provide an opportunity for Vijay to interact with Sonia Gandhi, whom he had met during an earlier trip to Delhi after assuming office as Chief Minister.
However, attention is also on whether Vijay will meet PM Modi to reiterate Tamil Nadu’s opposition to Karnataka’s proposed dam across the Cauvery river at Mekedatu. There has been no official confirmation of such a meeting.
The visit comes amid renewed controversy over Karnataka’s efforts to secure the Centre’s final approval for the project. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar participated alongside PM Modi in the inauguration of development projects in the state on Friday. Remarks at the programme citing a Supreme Court ruling in support of proceeding with the project and seeking central clearance have intensified the dispute.
Tamil Nadu has maintained that the concerns of downstream states must be addressed before any approval is granted. In a letter to PM Modi on November 7, Vijay urged the Union government not to permit the project without hearing the views of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala.
Monday’s trip will be Vijay’s third visit to Delhi since becoming Chief Minister. He first met PM Modi on May 27. During his second visit, from June 10 to 12, he attended a NITI Aayog meeting and met President Droupadi Murmu, PM Modi and Sonia Gandhi.
The visit has also assumed political significance following reports that Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Friday to discuss the state’s law and order situation. Vijay’s engagements in the national capital will be watched for any developments concerning the Mekedatu project and Tamil Nadu’s concerns over Cauvery water.
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