DMK’s Super Saturday in Delhi


Chennai / New Delhi: A grand political show is in cards in New Delhi Saturday, as the DMK, the ruling party of Tamilnadu, is gearing up to inaugurate its office- Anna Kalaignar Arivalayam- in the capital.

Chief Minister and party president M K Stalin will open the tastefully constructed edifice at an event to be attended by leaders cutting across party lines including Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi. It is learnt that a few senior leaders from the BJP too would be part of the function.

Billing the inaugural as an event that is set to write the history of southern India from Delhi, Stalin said the DMK office is a ‘compelling symbol’ of the vital space in national politics for his party, its policies and the vehicle to implement it, the ‘Dravidian model’.

Hailing the new office christened ‘Anna Kalaignar Arivalayam,’ as a Dravidian palace and fort, Stalin said the construction of the three-storeyed building is based on Dravidian architecture and has all amenities including a library.

On his first day programme in New Delhi on his third visit to the National capital, Stalin Thursday night expressed full satisfaction on his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rounding off his day’s programmes there, he told reporters that he was immensely with the meeting with the Prime Minister, who responded very positive to the 14-point charter of demands submitted to him.
Summing up his first day programmes, he said he met Modi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi (at the Parliament annexe), Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari.

Expressing satisfaction over his meeting with Modi, he said the Prime Minister has assured to look into the demands put forth by him.

He said during his meeting with Modi and Amit Shah he had specifically insisted on seeking exemption from NEET and said the second resolution passed by the State Assembly last month was yet to be forwarded by the Governor to President for his assent.

On Mekedatu dam issue with Karnataka, he apprised the Prime Minister, who had promised to take genuine action on the issue.

He said he had discussed about flood related dues to be given by the Centre with Amit Shah, road development projects, including extension of the Chennai-Maduravoyal project till Sriperumbudur and six-laning of Chennai-Kanniyakumari highway with Gadkari, setting up of Defence Aviation Hub at Comibatore with Rajnath Singh.

On his meeting with Sonia, he said he had made it point to meet her whenever her visited Delhi and assured that she would be present at the inauguration of Anna Kalignar Arivalayam at Deendayal Marg on 2 April along with former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.

He said he would be meeting Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal today.

Meanwhile, ever since Stalin landed in New Delhi, leaders of various parties, including those from the Left Parties met him at the Tamilnadu house.