Chennai: A fresh round of internal sparring has surfaced in the Congress in Tamil Nadu over whether alliance partners should publicly accept Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate.
Former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Selva Perunthagai said coalition parties must back Rahul Gandhi as the PM face, and questioned the purpose of remaining in an alliance if that support is not forthcoming. He argued that the Congress should align only with partners who accept this openly and “honestly.”
His remarks come amid statements from leaders of the ruling TVK suggesting that Chief Minister Vijay should be projected as the prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha election. The Congress is part of the TVK-led cabinet, and TN Congress president Manickam Tagore has reiterated that Rahul Gandhi is the party’s PM candidate.
Earlier, Congress minister Rajeshkumar had said he would resign if TVK did not accept Rahul Gandhi as the PM candidate, though both sides later held talks and reached a settlement.
Responding to Selva Perunthagai’s comments, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Praveen Chakravarthy questioned his authority to speak on alliance matters and said there was no confusion within the “secular social justice victory alliance” formed under Chief Minister Vijay. He added that the Congress has a share in power in Tamil Nadu and has gained political recognition and respect. The exchange has added to the party’s internal buzz.
