TN Cong Chief Pushes for Rahul Gandhi as PM Candidate

The upcoming parliamentary elections (scheduled in 2029) are highly critical for the Congress party, serving as a defining battle to safeguard Indian democracy, Tamil Nadu Congress leader Manickam Tagore said on Tuesday.

Addressing the media, Tagore emphasized that "the party's singular objective and strategic blueprint for the elections revolve around projecting Rahul Gandhi as the nation's next Prime Minister." Hailing the performance of the ruling TVK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu, attributing its success to its people-centric governance model, Tagore observed "the achievements and operations of this government, particularly under the leadership of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and head of this alliance, are entirely centered around the welfare of the people." Congress is part of the TVK-led coalition government.

He further noted that the state government is pursuing an inclusive and innovative political path that represents all Tamils without any discrimination, declaring that the success of the alliance is a shared victory for the Congress party.

On the contentious Mekedatu dam issue, Tagore stressed the need for a unified political stance within Tamil Nadu to protect the state's welfare, while urging political leaders not to politicise the matter locally.

Asserting that Karnataka cannot proceed with the project without central clearances, the Congress leader said "the Mekedatu dam (on river Cauvery) cannot be constructed without the permission of the central government and the cooperation of the Tamil Nadu government." "Politicians in Karnataka may play politics with Mekedatu legally, but the responsibility to withhold permission rests squarely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, " he said. "The Modi administration is attempting to penalise Tamil Nadu due to the BJP's repeated electoral failures in the state," he alleged.

Launching a scathing attack on the BJP and RSS regarding the alleged irregularities in the Ram Temple donations, he asserted that the Congress party would aggressively raise the issue in the upcoming parliamentary session.

"The BJP and RSS raised funds across the country asking for bricks and donations to build the Ram temple, but ultimately, these collection thieves dipped their hands directly into the temple's donation box," Tagore alleged.

He criticised the Prime Minister for "remaining silent" on the alleged corruption despite his high-profile involvement in the temple's inauguration.

"The Prime Minister came with grand background music for the temple inauguration, but now, when a major theft has been exposed, he remains completely silent on the issue," Tagore alleged, demanding justice for the temple trust.