CM Vijay does not meet Rahul Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi in Delhi — Congress says "postponed, not cancelled"; NITI Aayog summit on June 11 eyed for next chance

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay returned to Chennai after his two-day Delhi visit without meeting Congress top leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi — despite TVK and Congress being alliance partners.

Congress clarified that the meeting was postponed, not cancelled: "The Vijay–Rahul Gandhi meeting has not been cancelled; it has only been postponed." The party cited the Congress high command's preoccupation with a leadership change in Karnataka as the reason.

"The Chief Minister is likely to come to Delhi again for the NITI Aayog meeting on June 11. Then he may meet Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi," a Congress spokesperson said.

However, political observers noted discomfort within the coalition over TVK's aggressive AIADMK MLA absorption strategy. Congress MP S Jothimani had openly called it "horse-trading," saying her party should not support it.

Minister Aadhav Arjuna's claim that "90% of AIADMK MLAs will join TVK" made during the Delhi visit added to the friction, drawing sharp criticism from AIADMK, DMK, and Congress quarters simultaneously.