Amid a growing clamour among Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) cadres to project Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay as a potential contender for the Prime Minister’s post in 2029, the party’s ally, Congress, has issued a stern warning.
On Sunday, Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister S. Rajesh Kumar said all Congress ministers would resign from the Vijay Cabinet if TVK failed to support Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate for the general election.
Speaking at an event in Kanyakumari on Sunday, the Congress leader declared that Rahul Gandhi would become the Prime Minister of India in 2029.
The campaign to project Vijay as a future Prime Minister gained momentum after Tamil Nadu Human Resources Management Minister Sarathkumar praised the actor-turned-politician’s work ethic in the State Assembly and backed him for the country’s top post.
“Our leader, who is a CM in our hearts, at home and in St George’s Fort, is the next Indian PM. You are the next PM. You work without looking at AM or PM; you are definitely the next PM,” he had said.
Later, another TVK leader and State minister, Aadhav Arjuna, added fuel to the campaign by saying that the next Prime Minister should emerge from the South — a remark widely seen as an endorsement of Vijay’s national ambitions.
Congress initially sought to downplay the campaign, saying TVK leaders and cadres were aware of the political realities in the country.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said that while party workers might have deep admiration and expectations for their leader, becoming Prime Minister ultimately depended on securing a majority in the Lok Sabha.
Another Congress leader, Manickam Tagore, criticised the projection of Vijay as a future Prime Minister, saying TVK leaders were still operating with a “fan club mindset”.
