Tamil Nadu Minister S Rajesh Kumar said Congress ministers would resign if coalition partner TVK does not support Rahul Gandhi as the 2029 Prime Ministerial candidate. His remarks come amid growing calls within TVK to project Chief Minister Vijay for the post
Published Date – 31 August 2026, 10:30 AM
Nagercoil: Tamil Nadu Minister S Rajesh Kumar has said the two ministers from the Congress would resign from the state cabinet if coalition ally – the TVK – does not endorse Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2029 parliamentary polls, declaring that Gandhi will be India’s next PM.
Amidst increasing advocacy by ministers, MLAs and members of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, projecting Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay as Prime Ministerial candidate for the next Lok Sabha election, Rajesh Kumar said he and his colleague P Vishwanathan (Higher Education Minister) were prepared to resign from their positions if the alliance partner does not support the Congress on the subject.
Following the Congress decision to back the Vijay-led TVK in forming the government in May, the grand old party was accorded a berth in the Cabinet.
Rajesh Kumar’s frustration expressed at an event in Kanyakumari on Sunday, indicated that the party would not compromise on its stand, firmly asserting that Rahul Gandhi is the only candidate the Congress party would support in the Lok Sabha elections.
Though Vishwanathan was not immediately available for comments, Kumar’s statement is likely to cause a rift in the ties between the Congress and TVK.
