Chennai, September 10: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin stood as the sole Chief Minister from South India to attend the G20 dinner hosted by the President of India in New Delhi. During the event, Stalin shared images of his interactions with US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his social media profiles.
This participation has ignited a spirited debate on social media, with both supportive and opposing comments flooding the digital sphere.
The DMK party has clarified that Stalin’s attendance was due to administrative obligations for an official meeting. However, several individuals have criticized the Chief Minister’s presence, particularly considering the confrontational relationship between the DMK and the BJP-led central government at the grassroots level.
Left social activist R. Raghunath expressed his perspective, stating, “The Chief Minister attending the G20 dinner was uncalled for. He should have abstained from this, as the Kerala Chief Minister and Karnataka Chief Minister did. The message sent to the people of Tamil Nadu through this action may not be positive, and the DMK will need to provide a lot of explanations.”
On the other hand, many of Stalin’s supporters argue that his participation was essential as it was an international diplomatic gathering, driven by administrative and official requirements.
Shenthilnathan, a DMK leader from Chennai, emphasized, “The Chief Minister attended the meeting due to its substantial international participation. Tamil Nadu is a progressive state, and we must effectively showcase our state. The Chief Minister has been a prominent critic of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the political level, but from an administrative perspective, he had to participate in an international gathering featuring a wide array of participants, including US President Joe Biden.”
Leaders of the Tamil Nadu front in India refrained from responding to repeated inquiries by IANS regarding their stance on the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s participation in the dinner meeting.
