New Delhi, June 19: On the occasion of 56th birthday of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin wished him, however the tone of the message was way different as compared to last year with the omission of the word brother in-ideals to Leader of Opposition.
However, Rahul Gandhi responded to Stalin’s message with a bid to patch up as he mentioned about the idea of saving Constitution, democracy and federalism.
Last year, Stalin had taken to X and wrote, “Warm birthday wishes to my brother-in-ideals, Rahul Gandhi-bound not by blood, but by thought, vision, and purpose. May you continue to stand firm and lead with courage. In our march towards a brighter India, victory shall be ours. Wishing you good health and happiness.”
But his message this year, was plane and simple, as Stalin wrote, “Birthday greetings to Hon’ble Leader of Opposition Thiru. Rahul Gandhi.
But the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi took to social media to signal the continuation of a key political partnership, thanking the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and emphasising their “shared resolve” to protect democratic values.
Rahul Gandhi wrote, “Thank you, Thiru M.K. Stalin, for your warm wishes.
“Our shared resolve to defend the idea of India, our Constitution, and federalism will continue to guide us – this is the fight for the very soul of our democracy, and we will wage it together, until we win,” the former Congress chief wrote.
The difference in tone of the DMK leader clearly hinted the bad blood that had gone into the alliance of the two parties after the conclusion of the assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, where the DMK suffered a dramatic loss and Congress opting to supoort the actor turned politician C Joseph Vijay’s TVK in the state.
Earlier this month, despite the alliance of the two parties hitting the bed rock bottom, Rahul Gandhi had paid his floral tributes to DMK leader and former Chief Minister K Karunanidhi.
DMK has remained one of the strong pillars of the INDIA bloc along side Congress and Stalin’s warmth for Rahul Gandhi was clearly visible in last few years where he had backed him as Prime Ministerial candidate of the united opposition parties.
However, things went horribly wrong after the Congress decided to supoort TVK in Tamil Nadu following DMK’s defeat.
The Congress had contested the polls as part of the DMK-led alliance, the alliance ultimately fell short of a majority.
The Congress extended support to the TVK, which emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats, to form the government, a move that has reportedly caused unease within the DMK ranks.
However, the birthday acknowledgements extended across the political aisle, reflecting the formal courtesies typical of India’s parliamentary culture.
Rahul Gandhi also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had earlier wished him good health and a long life in a post on X.
“Thank you for your wishes Prime Minister Narendra Modiji,” he wrote in a post on X.
Earlier, Prime Minister Modi extended birthday greetings to Rahul Gandhi and prayed for the Congress leader’s good health and long life.
“Best wishes to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji, on his birthday. Praying for his good health and long life,” PM Modi wrote.
Congress leader also expressed gratitude to Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge for his birthday wishes, saying the support of party leaders and workers was a source of strength for him.”Thank you, Kharge ji, our Congress President, our leaders, and my dear Babbar Sher karyakartas, for the warm birthday wishes. Your love and your commitment to the ideals of the Congress are my source of strength,” Rahul Gandhi wrote in a post on X.
“And to my brothers and sisters across the country: thank you for your affection. It means more to me than I can say. It is our collective resolve to keep raising the voice of every Indian, to fight injustice, and to keep working for the unity and progress of the country we love,” the post read.
Rahul Gandhi was born on June 19, 1970, at Holy Family Hospital in the national capital and was the first of two children born to Rajiv Gandhi, who later served as the sixth prime minister of India, and Sonia Gandhi, who went on to become the Congress president.
He is currently serving as the 12th LoP in Lok Sabha and as a member of the Lower House for Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli constituency since June 2024. He was earlier represented the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala, from 2019 to 2024, and Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, from 2004 to 2019.
He served as the party president of Congress from December 2017 to July 2019.