CHENNAI: Within the final two months, PM Narendra Modi has visited Tamil Nadu thrice, campaigning for BJP and its allies, and is scheduled to go to the state once more on April 15 and search votes for the NDA candidates at Nagercoil. In sharp distinction, Congress’s Rahul Gandhi has not campaigned even as soon as within the state to date.His absence has sparked a robust buzz that each one just isn’t nicely within the Congress-DMK alliance. Ballot watchers distinction this with the earlier meeting election, when he kickstarted his marketing campaign with a three-day Tamil Nadu go to in Jan 2021.Congress functionaries in state stated Rahul’s marketing campaign schedules are but to be firmed up, however as per the tentative plan, he’ll go to after the primary section of polls in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry.Rahul visited Puducherry solely on Monday, the penultimate day of campaigning. And, whilst he sought assist for “Congress candidates and alliance candidates”, he studiously averted mentioning alliance accomplice DMK and its functionary M Okay Stalin.Stalin, too, was in Puducherry the identical day, however their marketing campaign schedules have been deliberate in a manner that they did not cross paths. Whereas Rahul campaigned within the morning, Stalin visited within the night.“Rahul didn’t even point out Stalin’s identify in his speech,” stated a DMK functionary. Nor did Stalin point out him. Political observers stated this might be a fallout of the friction between the 2 events through the seat-sharing talks.A DMK functionary stated there was no try from DMK’s aspect for a gathering between Rahul and Stalin. DMK organisational secretary, R S Bharathi, stated the 2 allies had deliberate their public assembly nicely prematurely and could not alter it on the final minute to carry a joint assembly. Nonetheless, the 2 would marketing campaign collectively shortly, he stated.A senior Congress functionary stated Rahul has deliberate to go to TN after April 10.
