Stalin set to meet Sonia Gandhi to strengthen ties ahead of 2019 polls

Chennai, Dec 8: DMK chief MK Stalin will meet former Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Sunday to invite her for a ceremony to unveil statues of former Tamil Nadu chief ministers Muthuvel Karunanidhi.

The meeting assumes significance in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Sources from the DMK said Stalin would also attend the 'United Opposition' meet organised by N Chandrababu Naidu.

Tamil Nadu has the most number of Lok Sabha seats, 39, after Uttar Pradesh (80), Maharashtra (48), West Bengal (42) and Bihar (40). The DMK and Congress have been in alliance in the state along with some smaller regional parties and are likely to contest the upcoming polls together.

Sonia is also certain to join the opposition gathering on December 10, which will take place a day before the assembly election results are out.

Gandhi has accepted the invitation extended to her to attend the event at the DMK headquarters here, expected to be held in the presence of a galaxy of national level leaders of various political parties.

"Unveiling his statue at your party headquarters will be a fitting tribute to Kalaignar (Karunaidhi). It is an honour for me to accept your invitation," she said in a letter to DMK chief and Karunaidhi's son M K Stalin.
Karunanidhi passed away on August 7 this year aged 94 following prolonged illness.