Vijay backs Rahul Gandhi as INDIA bloc PM candidate, Congress says
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has backed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the INDIA bloc, according to Congress Legislature Party leader Tharahai Cuthbert.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Cuthbert dismissed speculation of differences between the Congress and Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). She referred to the India Today Mood of the Nation survey, which placed Vijay third among the preferred choices for Prime Minister.
The survey had been followed by calls from some TVK supporters for Vijay to be projected for the top post. Cuthbert, however, said such expectations largely reflected the enthusiasm of party workers and did not represent the official stand of the TVK leadership.
“The CM has chosen Rahul Gandhi as the PM candidate. That is how he is proceeding,” she said.
Vijay and Rahul Gandhi have maintained a cordial relationship. After TVK’s strong debut in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Vijay invited Rahul Gandhi to his swearing-in ceremony in Chennai and referred to him publicly as his “brother”. Gandhi has also voiced support for the TVK administration.
Cuthbert stressed that the Congress would continue to strengthen its organisation independently in Tamil Nadu and would not operate under the TVK’s direction. She described the Congress as a democratic and autonomous political party.
Reacting to the FIR registered against Rahul Gandhi in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, over the ‘shuddhikaran’ controversy, Cuthbert alleged that the BJP was politically anxious about Gandhi’s growing public support. She predicted that Rahul Gandhi would become Prime Minister in 2029.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister C Vijay Joseph has opened the sluice gates of the Mettur Dam in Salem, releasing water for farmers in the Cauvery Delta region.
The release came after an approximately 80-day delay. The customary opening of the dam in June had been postponed because of a significant shortfall in rainfall and insufficient inflows from Karnataka into the Stanley Reservoir.
The delayed release is expected to provide water for agricultural activities across parts of the Cauvery Delta, which depend heavily on the Mettur reservoir for irrigation.