Chennai, June 9 (IANS). Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will leave for New Delhi on Wednesday on a three-day visit. He will participate in the meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The visit comes almost two weeks after his first official visit to Delhi after assuming charge as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Vijay had earlier visited New Delhi on May 27, his first visit to the national capital after taking charge of the government in Tamil Nadu.
During that visit, he met Prime Minister Modi and presented a detailed memorandum highlighting several issues related to Tamil Nadu.
The major demands raised by the Chief Minister included non-clearance of Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu Dam project and finding a permanent solution to the problems of fishermen in Tamil Nadu.
Chief Minister Vijay also discussed matters related to the development and financial requirements of Tamil Nadu with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
However, despite leading the Congress-backed coalition government, Chief Minister Vijay did not meet senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi during that visit.
The Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog is scheduled to be held on June 11 in New Delhi.
Chief Ministers from across the country are likely to attend the high-level meeting, where issues related to state development, financial assistance and cooperative federalism are expected to be discussed.
According to official sources, Vijay will leave from Chennai on Wednesday at around 8 am in a private plane and go to New Delhi for the meeting.
The Chief Minister will use the occasion to reiterate Tamil Nadu’s development priorities and seek more support from the Central government for key projects.
The visit is also being closely monitored in political circles, as there are fears that Vijay may meet Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi during his stay in New Delhi.
Given the important supporting role of Congress in the ruling coalition in Tamil Nadu, these meetings will be important and can provide an opportunity to discuss the political developments happening at the state and national level.
–IANS
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