Chennai, Aug 31:
Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister Rajesh Kumar has triggered a fresh political debate within the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-Congress alliance, declaring that the two Congress ministers in the state Cabinet would resign if the party’s demand to project Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha election is not accepted.
Speaking at a Congress event in Kanyakumari, Rajesh Kumar said Rahul Gandhi would be the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 parliamentary election.
He said the Congress would not accept any alternative position on the issue.
“If the TVK does not agree to Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate, the two Congress ministers in the TVK Cabinet will resign,” Rajesh Kumar said.
His remarks come amid growing speculation over the future political ambitions of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and the direction of the TVK-Congress alliance.
Posters carrying the slogan “Today Chief Minister Vijay, tomorrow Prime Minister” have reportedly appeared in parts of Tamil Nadu, including Thoothukudi district.
The slogan has triggered a response from Congress supporters, who have been insisting on social media that Rahul Gandhi should be the Opposition alliance’s Prime Ministerial choice.
The latest controversy has also been fuelled by political predictions that Vijay could emerge as a national political figure after the 2029 Lok Sabha election.
According to the report, a political prediction has suggested the possibility of Vijay leading a bloc of MPs from several states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana.
The claims have added to speculation over whether the alliance between the TVK and Congress will remain confined to state politics or evolve into a broader national arrangement.
Rajesh Kumar’s statement, meanwhile, has put the Congress’s position on record and introduced a potential point of friction within the state Cabinet.
The remarks are significant because the 2029 Lok Sabha election is still several years away, but competing claims over the Prime Ministerial candidate are already beginning to shape the political narrative surrounding the alliance.
The issue could become a major test of the understanding between the TVK leadership and its Congress partners as both parties work towards consolidating their respective political positions.