Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay is being projected as “Tomorrow’s PM” in posters put up in the state's port-industrial city of Thoothukudi.
The posters were put up by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) functionary Sudhakar, who recently joined the Vijay-led party after leaving AIADMK, according to a News 18 report.
The messaging comes after Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Aadhav Arjuna backed Vijay as a potential Prime Ministerial candidate, fueling speculation over his national political ambitions.
What Aadhav Arjuna said
Aadhav Arjuna on Wednesday supported the resolution opposing the proposed delimitation exercise, alleging that redrawing constituencies based on population would further entrench "North Indian dominance" and marginalise Tamil Nadu's voice.
He stated that the current political landscape, in which a few northern states decide the Prime Minister, must change and that a PM should emerge from southern states as well.
"The situation where five or six northern states can together decide who becomes the Prime Minister must change. In the future, a Prime Minister should also emerge from Southern States... from Tamil Nadu itself. This resolution is not about Congress versus the BJP. It is about upholding state autonomy. This resolution is intended to ensure that we do not fall under northern Indian domination," Arjuna said.
The Minister argued that the lack of adequate representation has allowed the Union Government to impose policies against the state's will.
{{/usCountry}}The Minister argued that the lack of adequate representation has allowed the Union Government to impose policies against the state's will.
{{/usCountry}}"Today, even in an Assembly of 234 members, a single voice is sometimes not heard. Such a situation should not be allowed to arise in Parliament for Tamil Nadu. If we had 100 MPs, would NEET, GST or the CAA have been imposed in this manner? The problem is the lack of adequate representation," he claimed.
Arjuna urged all 39 Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu to present a united front.
"Whatever form the delimitation law takes, all of us must unite and insist that the present position should continue for the next 25 years. All 39 MPs should oppose it by voting against it in Parliament and should not walk out," he asserted.
Arjuna also highlighted fiscal concerns, stating that for every rupee Tamil Nadu contributes to the national exchequer, it receives only 29 paise in return. He maintained that even a 50 per cent increase in total seats would not benefit the state if the proportional imbalance with northern states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar increases.
"There are also suggestions that states could be given 50 per cent representation. Even if states such as Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh account for 50 per cent, the imbalance could increase further. Whatever basis is used for delimitation, the total number of constituencies should remain at 543. The South should not be reduced to the same situation in the future. It is said that for every one rupee contributed, only 29 paise is returned, while the contribution is being portrayed differently," he said.
Voices for Vijay from TVK
Senior TVK leader KA Sengottaiyan on Sunday said people from northern Indian states were also looking up to Vijay as a potential leader to rule the country.
“People from north Indian states are also looking forward to our leader Vijay; he is the one who has the power to rule the entire India,” KA Sengottaiyan said.
Speaking at a public meeting held in Tiruppur to list the 100-day achievements of the TVK government, Sengottaiyan said, “I have travelled with MGR and Jayalalithaa. After these two leaders, Vijay is the force who will not only rule Tamil Nadu but also the future India, following their path,” The Print reported.
Tamil Nadu human resources management minister D Sarathkumar also praised Vijay’s work ethic and declared him the “next Indian PM”.
“Our leader, who is a chief minister in our hearts, home and St. George’s Fort, is the next Indian PM. You are the next PM. You work without looking at AM or PM, you are definitely the next PM,” he said, according to The Print.
TVK legislator Kallanai, who organised an event marking the party’s 100 days in office, said the public has immense faith in Vijay’s leadership and expressed confidence that he would eventually go on to lead the country and hoist the national flag at the Red Fort as a representative of the Tamil people, news agency PTI reported.
Congress criticism
Congress, an ally of the TVK in Tamil Nadu, apparently doesn't like the idea, with party leaders saying that TVK leaders are still operating in a “fan-club mode.” TNCC president and MP B Manickam Tagore shrugged off the narrative, saying that TVK leaders were still operating in “fan mode” and could not be silenced.
“The TVK leaders are still operating in a fan-club mode. So, you cannot silence people who are in the fan-club mode.”
Backing Tagore’s remark that TVK leaders are operating with a “fan club mindset” by projecting their leader Vijay as a potential PM candidate, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said that while party workers may harbour deep admiration for their leader, national leadership is ultimately governed by the constitutional requirement of winning 272 seats in the Lok Sabha, news agency ANI reported.
“I fully accept that they have great love, affection, expectation, and admiration for their party leadership. This is their party. What they say within their party makes no difference to the public discourse. In public discourse, what you should ask about is policy and the law. Their wishes within a party make no difference to me,” Chidambaram told reporters.
He added that while every political party has its own dreams and ambitions, the reality is that any prime ministerial aspirant must ultimately have the numbers to command a majority in the Lok Sabha.
“Every party has dreams, ambitions, and desires. One cannot pass laws to stop that. Everyone expresses their own wishes and talks about their favourite leader in their party. But we know what the political reality is. There are 543 constituencies. According to the Constitution, the leader of whichever alliance wins 272 constituencies, or whichever party wins, will be the Prime Minister of India. Anyone who achieves that number can become the Prime Minister, individually or collectively. You and I both know what that political reality is,” he added.
Congress MP P Jothimani echoed similar sentiments, saying that neither the Congress nor the INDIA bloc would accept anyone other than Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate. She also urged TVK leaders to focus on governance in Tamil Nadu rather than projecting Vijay as a candidate for the prime minister’s post, according to PTI.
The backlash comes at a time when the Congress is seeking to project Rahul Gandhi as its potential prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Congress was the first party to issue a letter of consent supporting TVK after the announcement of the election results on May 4. “First of all, regarding Mr Vijay, as soon as his party won the 108 seats, the first person he called was Mr Rahul Gandhi (Congress leader) seeking its support for TVK to form the government. Therefore, all the current ministers of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam know this truth,” Tagore claimed.