The inauguration of the office of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Delhi on Saturday turned into an occasion for Opposition leaders to come together on one stage, with Congress president Sonia Gandhi accompanying Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief M.K. Stalin as he inaugurated the Anna-Kalaignar Arivalayam.
Prominent Opposition leaders present included Samajwadi Party leaders Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief Vaiko, T. Thirumavalavan of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Congress leaders P. Chidambaram and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, D. Raja of the CPI and Sitaram Yechury of the CPI(M).
The Trinamool Congress was represented by Mahua Moitra and Telugu Desam Party by Rammohan Naidu, K. Ravindra Kumar and Jayadev Gala. Amar Patnaik from the Biju Janata Dal and Harsimrat Badal from the Shiromani Akali Dal were also present.
Though former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to attend, he was not present at the event. The DMK and the Congress are in an alliance in Tamil Nadu.
Several Ministers in the Tamil Nadu government, MPs of the DMK from both Houses and Mr. Stalin’s son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, were also present.
The event started with Mr. Stalin unfurling the DMK flag. DMK general secretary Durai Murugan unveiled C.N. Annadurai’s statue and the party’s Lok Sabha leader T.R. Baalu unveiled M. Karunanidhi’s statue.
A.S. Paneerselvan’s book Karunanidhi – A life was released at the event by N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, with Ms. Gandhi receiving a copy. Another book, A Dravidian Journey, authored by J. Jeyaranjan, Vice-President of the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission, was released by Mr. Stalin.
Later, the DMK chief felicitated all the Opposition leaders with a shawl and a memento.
The guests were taken on a tour of the new building that includes a well-stocked library, named after Murasoli Maran.
On a three-day visit to Delhi, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had earlier met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the meeting, Mr. Stalin had presented a 14-point charter of demands and urged the Centre to help the Sri Lankan Tamils, many of whom were fleeing the island nation through the sea route in the wake of an economic crisis.
The DMK chief also met Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
