M Karunanidhi, Rahul Gandhi to share dais next month?

Chennai: For the first time, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is likely to share dais with DMK chief M. Karunanidhi at a conference organised by Dravidar Kazhagam in Tiruchy next month.

DK general secretary K. Veeramani has extended invitation to Mr Gandhi for the ‘Social Justice Conference’ that his party is holding on March 20. TNCC president E.V.K.S. Elangovan, who met Mr Rahul at Delhi this morning, strongly recommended that the latter accept the DK invitation as that might help the Congress in the TN Assembly elections expected in May, Congress sources told DC.

“We are confident that Rahulji will attend. It will be the first time that he will share the dais with Karunanidhi”, said a state Congress senior, adding, “If this materialises — and we think it will —it will help us in the polls”.

In the past, Mr Rahul had refrained from meeting Mr Karunanidhi when he visited Tamil Nadu on missions aimed at strengthening the Congress in the Dravidian state. His argument had been that it was not his job to meet alliance leaders but that of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

DK chief Veeramani has invited leaders from almost all ‘secular’ political parties for his conference, which may turn out as a confluence of anti-BJP leaders ahead of the state polls. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav are likely to participate.