Congress Minister Warns TVK Over Rahul PM Bid
Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister S. Rajesh Kumar has warned that the Congress could withdraw from Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s Cabinet if the TVK refuses to support Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha election. The remarks signal emerging tensions within the ruling coalition over national leadership ambitions.
Congress Minister Backs Rahul Gandhi for PM
Addressing a Congress meeting in Marthandam on August 30, Rajesh Kumar said he and Higher Education Minister Viswanathan would resign from the Tamil Nadu Cabinet if the TVK rejected Rahul Gandhi as the alliance’s Prime Ministerial candidate.
Rajesh Kumar argued that Gandhi had emerged as the Congress’s national face through his sustained opposition to the BJP-led government at the Centre.
His statement was made in his capacity as a Congress minister and has not yet been announced as a formal decision by the party’s national leadership.
TVK Leaders Project Vijay for Prime Minister
The warning follows public statements by some TVK ministers and functionaries seeking to project Chief Minister Vijay as a possible Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2029 general election.
Such calls have created a potential leadership dispute between the regional party and its Congress ally, despite their cooperation in the Tamil Nadu government.
Vijay or the TVK leadership had not formally announced a 2029 Prime Ministerial candidacy when the remarks were made.
2029 Leadership Question Tests Coalition
The disagreement could become an early test for relations between Congress and TVK as both parties begin positioning themselves for the next national election.
Congress continues to project Rahul Gandhi as its principal national leader, while Vijay’s supporters increasingly see the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister as capable of taking on a larger national role.
