TVK to meet allies on September 9 amid rift with Congress over 'Vijay for PM' pitch
The agenda of Wednesday's meeting is not yet known. Its timing, however, is significant as differences between the TVK and Congress over who should lead the Opposition in 2029 have spilled into the open.
Tamil Nadu’s ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam is set to meet its allies on September 9 amid growing friction with the Congress over calls from within the TVK to project Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay as the Opposition’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha election, sources told India Today.
Ministers Aadhav Arjuna, Raj Mohan and R Nirmal Kumar have invited the CPI(M), CPI and MDMK to the meeting, sources said.
There is no confirmation yet of an invitation to the Congress, the TVK’s largest ally in the multi-party coalition.
The agenda of Wednesday’s meeting is not yet known. Its timing, however, is significant as differences between the TVK and Congress over who should lead the Opposition in 2029 have spilled into the open.
TVK LEADERS PITCH VIJAY FOR PM
The row began after several TVK legislators publicly backed Vijay for the country’s top post.
Kavundampalayam MLA Kanimozhi said Vijay would be the TVK’s prime ministerial candidate in 2029 and asserted that Tamil Nadu, not Delhi, would determine who became Prime Minister.
Kanimozhi predicted that Vijay would bring a major change to national politics and claimed that Rahul Gandhi would eventually support his candidature.
“The support extended by Rahul Gandhi to the TVK led to Vijay becoming Chief Minister. Similarly, Gandhi will hold Vijay’s hand and make him sit in the Prime Minister’s chair,” she said.
Other TVK leaders, including Ranipet MLA I Thahira and Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar, also backed Vijay for a national role.
CONGRESS CALLS IT A ‘FAN MINDSET’
The Congress rejected the TVK leaders’ assertions and said Rahul Gandhi remained its choice for Prime Minister in 2029.
Congress Legislature Party leader Tharahai Cuthbert described the campaign as a product of the “fan mindset” of some first-time TVK legislators.
She said Vijay had previously acknowledged Rahul Gandhi as the alliance’s candidate and argued that statements by individual MLAs did not represent the agreed strategy.
“The Chief Minister himself has been very clear that Rahul Gandhi is the prime ministerial candidate. These new MLAs are still in that fan mindset. They will naturally speak about their own leader,” she said.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Manickam Tagore dismissed the projections as a diversionary tactic and said the choice of Prime Minister would ultimately be determined by voters.
WHY THE RIFT IS SIGNIFICANT
The disagreement is particularly significant because Vijay’s government depends on support from the Congress, Left parties, VCK and IUML. The Congress, the TVK’s largest ally, has five MLAs and two ministers in the state government.
Since the party lacks a majority of its own, a prolonged confrontation with the Congress could place the stability of the government under strain.
The dispute also has implications beyond Tamil Nadu. The TVK has not formally joined the INDIA bloc, even though the Congress is part of its government in the state. This allows the two parties to remain partners in Chennai while taking different positions over the Opposition’s leadership nationally.
The competing claims over Vijay and Rahul Gandhi have therefore raised questions about the coalition’s future and whether the state-level partnership can withstand their conflicting ambitions ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha election.