Congress, which was thrown out of power in Tamil Nadu in 1967 and has been riding piggyback on Dravidian majors, wants to make 2021 assembly elections as a launch pad to expand its base in the southern state.
As part of the efforts, Congress' former President Rahul Gandhi will undertake a three-day tour of Western Tamil Nadu beginning January 23 during which he will meet entrepreneurs and members of various trade unions in Coimbatore, and Tiruppur, farmers, and general public.
This will be Gandhi's second visit to Tamil Nadu within ten days – the Wayanad MP had participated in jallikattu, the traditional bull-taming sport, in Avaniapuram in Madurai and celebrated Pongal with villagers on January 14.
Sources in the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) said Gandhi will land in Coimbatore on January 23 and will visit Tiruppur, Kangeyam, Dharapuram, Gobichettipalayam, Karur, and Pallapatti during his three-day tour before taking a flight from Madurai to New Delhi on January 25.
Gandhi will meet entrepreneurs from the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), in a Town Hall set up in Coimbatore, whose industries are hit hard by demonetisation, GST, and the economic slowdown, on January 23.
On January 24, Gandhi will hold interactions with farmers in Kangeyam, and Gobichettipalayam, and address a public rally in Dharapuram. He will also meet representatives from various trade unions in Tiruppur, India's knitwear hub on January 24. He is scheduled to attend a couple of events in Karur district on January 25 before wrapping up his three-day visit.
Gandhi's visit comes just months before Tamil Nadu goes to its crucial assembly election in recent years and weeks ahead of the seat-sharing talks with senior ally, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Western Tamil Nadu is considered a bastion of the ruling AIADMK and Rahul's visit will come as a boost to the alliance led by the DMK, which is making concerted efforts to make inroads in the region.
The Congress' efforts to make itself heard loudly in the state comes amidst “suggestions” from various quarters that the DMK should not give “too many” seats to alliance partners in the assembly election. Congress leaders said Gandhi's visit should not be viewed strictly from the prism of the assembly election alone as it is part of the “larger plan” to expand base in Tamil Nadu.
“Rahul Gandhi will visit Tamil Nadu multiple times in the run-up to the assembly elections. We feel he enjoys popular support in the state and we want to utilise it for the benefit of our own party and the alliance which we are part of. There will be more such visits as election approaches in the state,” a senior Congress leader told Deccan Herald.
Another leader said the Congress is working on a long-term strategy to expand its support and voter base in Tamil Nadu utilising Rahul Gandhi's “popularity” in the state. The former Congress President has fared much better than Prime Minister Narendra Modi in popularity ranks in surveys conducted by various organisations.
“After losing power in 1967, the Congress has never been able to get back the lost clout. We feel there is an opportunity for the Congress to grow in the state, and that is the reason we are planning to make serious efforts to expand our base. We will continue to work this way even after the 2021 elections,” the leader said.
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