Tamil Nadu Congress Minister issues ultimatum to TVK over Vijay’s 2029 PM bid
A fresh political flashpoint has emerged in Tamil Nadu after Congress leader and State Tourism Minister S Rajesh Kumar said he would leave the state cabinet if Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) does not back Rahul Gandhi as the opposition alliance’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking at the induction ceremony of George Robinson as the Congress Kanyakumari West district president in Marthandam on Sunday night, Kumar said the Congress was committed to seeing Rahul Gandhi become prime minister.
Kumar claimed that the party’s two ministers in the Tamil Nadu government would resign if TVK eventually takes a position against Gandhi’s candidature. “For us, the party comes first,” Kumar said, adding that Congress workers wanted to see Gandhi lead the country.
The remarks come amid attempts by sections of TVK to project party chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay as a possible national political contender, including for the prime minister’s post.
Kumar’s statement could add another layer of tension to the evolving political equations in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2026 Assembly election and the 2029 general election.