Chennai, June 11 (IANS). Amid demands from political allies and stakeholders to proactively put forward Tamil Nadu’s interests at the national level, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will attend the 11th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday.
Chief Ministers from across the country will participate in this meeting to be held in the Cultural Center of Rashtrapati Bhavan complex. During this, development priorities, Centre-State cooperation and long-term policy initiatives will be discussed.
Political experts and alliance partners have urged Chief Minister Vijay to use this platform to strongly put forth Tamil Nadu’s development issues and highlight the state’s pending demands before the Central government.
Chief Minister Vijay reached New Delhi on Wednesday in a private plane. This is his second visit to the national capital after assuming the post of Chief Minister. He reached Tamil Nadu Government House in the afternoon, where he was welcomed by senior officials, including representatives of Tamil Nadu posted in the national capital.
Before the NITI Aayog meeting, the Chief Minister held several important meetings with national leaders. On Wednesday evening he met President Draupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and discussed issues related to the state and the country. He then met Vice President CP Radhakrishnan at the Vice President’s residence. These meetings were seen as Vijay’s efforts to strengthen relations with constitutional authorities and the national leadership.
The Chief Minister also met Congress Parliamentary Party President Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi at his residence. This meeting is important because Congress is a major ally in the ruling coalition in Tamil Nadu.
In another important meeting, Vijay met CPI general secretary D Raja at the party’s national headquarters and thanked him for the support his government has received from the Left parties.
After concluding the meeting, Vijay returned to Tamil Nadu Government House in the evening.
According to sources, in the NITI Aayog meeting, the Chief Minister may emphasize on Tamil Nadu’s development priorities, infrastructure needs, welfare schemes and important demands requiring support from the Central Government. The main focus of his talks in the meeting is expected to be on getting more financial assistance and expediting big projects necessary for the development of the state.
–IANS
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