Rahul to visit TN for 'Jallikattu' to lend 'moral' support to farmers

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would visit Tamil Nadu on January 14, the Pongal day and witness a bull taming event, 'Jallikattu,' the party's state president K S Alagiri said here on Tuesday.

Gandhi would lend his moral support to farmers protesting against the new farm laws across the country by witnessing the sport at Avaniapuram in Madurai district, he told reporters here.

"The bull is a symbol of farmers and part of their lives," the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president said.

His visit is to "honour the farmers and the valorous Tamil culture on the day of harvest festival and he will not engage in election campaign on that day," he said.

Assembly elections are due during April-May in the state.

"The general public should gather in large numbers for the event."

Billing Gandhi's event as 'Rahulin Tamil Vanakkam,' he said it was also intended to dislodge the 'inept' AIADMK regime, 'subservient' to the Centre.

Only Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his party the AIADMK supported the Central government's three farm laws and no other political party favoured it, he claimed.

Gandhi is scheduled to arrive at Madurai by 11 am on Pongal day and would be spending about four hours in the temple town.

Though there are no other scheduled events like interaction with farmers, such programmes might take place if the leader so desired, Alagiri said.

Gandhi also has no plans to visit the alliance party DMK's president M K Stalin or other leaders, he said.

During his visit to western Tamil Nadu, likely towards the month end, Gandhi could meet allies, he said adding his party senior leader had a plan to campaign extensively in Tamil Nadu. Priyanka Gandhi would also be invited to the state in the run up to the polls, he said.

To a question, he mocked at the AIADMK alliance in Tamil Nadu and alleged the partners in the ruling party led combine could not even agree upon the Chief Ministerial candidate.

The BJP, after maintaining for some time that NDA would announce the CM candidate said on Monday that the AIADMK, the 'major' partner would decide it.

The TNCC chief said his party stood behind DMK chief M K Stalin and he is the CM candidate of the alliance.

Harmony prevailed in the DMK camp and it was absent in the AIADMK combine, he claimed ruling out scope for discord between Congress and DMK in seat sharing for the Assembly polls.