Congress Ministers Threaten Exit From Tamil Nadu Cabinet Over PM Candidate

Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister S. Rajesh Kumar has issued a stark warning to the ruling party, stating that he and his Congress colleague, Higher Education Minister Viswanathan, will resign from the state cabinet if the TVK does not accept Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking at a party meeting in Marthandam on Sunday night, Kumar said the two Congress ministers would immediately pull out of the cabinet if the TVK pushed a contradictory narrative. The warning comes amid reports that some TVK ministers and functionaries have been openly projecting party chief C. Joseph Vijay as a potential prime ministerial candidate.

Kumar argued that Rahul Gandhi has gained nationwide acceptance as the opposition's face, citing his sustained campaign against the central government's policies, which he described as anti-people and anti-youth. He asserted that voters across the country have already recognised Gandhi as the Congress's prime ministerial pick.

"If the TVK takes a contradictory decision that it would not accept Mr. Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Minister candidate, the two Congress ministers in the Tamil Nadu Cabinet will immediately resign their post," Kumar said, drawing applause from party cadres.

The statement underscores growing friction within the state's ruling alliance over national leadership ambitions, with the Congress insisting on its own leader as the coalition's face for the next general election.