Congress Ministers Will Resign If TVK Rejects Rahul Gandhi, Says TN Minister

Speaking in Kanyakumari on Saturday, Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister S Rajesh Kumar warned that Congress ministers will resign from the state cabinet if the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) fails to back Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 General Elections.

Kumar made the statement at the assumption-of-office ceremony for George Robinson, who took charge as the President of the Kanyakumari West District Congress Committee. During the address, Kumar declared that Rahul Gandhi will become Prime Minister of India in 2029.

The remarks came after TVK leaders made repeated attempts to project Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay as a prospective prime ministerial contender from Tamil Nadu for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. The proposal gained momentum following assertions by PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna that the nation's top office should be occupied by a leader from Tamil Nadu. A survey conducted by a private media outlet also ranked Vijay as the third most preferred prime ministerial candidate in the country, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

The TVK, led by Vijay, won 108 seats in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and formed the state government with support from the Congress, VCK, IUML, CPI, and CPI(M). Following those election results, the Congress ended its alliance with the DMK and delivered a formal letter of support to the TVK at its headquarters in Chennai, attaching a condition that communal forces be kept out of the government.