DMK president Stalin may skip INDIA bloc meeting, to send Baalu; speculations rife over post-poll plans
Stalin was understood to have reconsidered the idea of attending the June 1 meeting, already overshadowed by the abstention of Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
Chief Minister MK Stalin, TR Baalu and Sonia Gandhi attend INDIA bloc meeting
CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin might skip the crucial INDIA bloc meeting scheduled to be held at Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge's residence in New Delhi on Saturday.
Stalin was understood to have reconsidered the idea of attending the June 1 meeting, already overshadowed by the abstention of Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
If sources in the DMK are to be believed, Stalin would be deputing his treasurer and Parliamentary party leader TR Baalu to represent him at the crucial Opposition meeting taking place on the polling day of the last phase of Lok Sabha elections.
Though health is unofficially cited as the reason for the CM's abstention, DMK sources in the know conceded that the decision could have been politically motivated. Pertinently, the DMK has not officially issued any statement on the CM's participation or abstention so far.
A highly placed DMK source disclosed that the party leadership was unsure of the poll outcome decisively favouring the INDIA bloc and hence did not want to burn bridges with any party.
Some senior leaders of the DMK were favourably disposed to keeping their options open for any kind of post-poll alliance and skipping the meeting would also provide more elbow room for the DMK to negotiate with the alliance close to forming government, sources added.
"There could be a change of heart and the CM might leave for Delhi at the nick of time instead of just deputing Baalu. Let us wait till tomorrow morning," added the source.
