Rajesh Kumar Threatens Congress Exit from Cabinet Over 2029 PM Candidacy

Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister and Congress leader S Rajesh Kumar announced on Sunday that Congress ministers will walk out of the cabinet if TVK refuses to endorse Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of George Robinson as the Congress party's Kanyakumari West district unit president, Rajesh Kumar declared that the party's primary political objective is to see Rahul Gandhi become the next Prime Minister of the country.

Rajesh Kumar asserted that Rahul Gandhi will be the prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 parliamentary election and stated firmly that he would assume the office of the Prime Minister. He warned that if TVK does not accept this stance, the two Congress ministers currently serving in the cabinet will step down and leave the government.

The minister underlined that the party comes before any other consideration for Congress leaders and workers. He stated that party cadres across the board are united in their desire to see Rahul Gandhi lead the country, adding that achieving this goal remains the foremost priority for the Congress.

The remarks by Rajesh Kumar come against the backdrop of ongoing efforts by TVK leadership to promote Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay as a prospective prime ministerial face from Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2029 general elections.

The debate over the prime ministerial candidature began when Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Aadhav Arjuna stated during a discussion on the delimitation exercise that a Prime Minister ought to emerge from Tamil Nadu. Following Arjuna's remarks, several other TVK ministers, including D Sarathkumar, A Srinath, and K Jagadeeswari, had also publicly projected Chief Minister Vijay as a potential candidate for the prime ministership.