Chennai: A debate over the prime ministerial candidate has surfaced within the Congress–TVK alliance in Tamil Nadu, following recent remarks by senior leaders on the question of leadership.
Senior Tamil Nadu Congress leader Selvaperumthagai said that parties allied with the Congress should accept Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate. He further argued that there would be little purpose in continuing an alliance with parties unwilling to support Gandhi’s leadership, adding that the Congress should contest elections alongside partners that openly back him.
Congress MP Praveen Chakravarthy, however, sought to play down suggestions of a rift between the alliance partners. Responding to Selvaperumthagai’s remarks, Chakravarthy said relations between the Congress and TVK remained intact. He pointed to the recent coordination meeting at which the alliance name, “Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance,” was approved. He also said he had recently met Rahul Gandhi and discussed the political situation in Tamil Nadu.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also weighed in on the issue, saying that every political party has the right to promote its own leader and articulate its political ambitions. At the same time, he noted that the question of who becomes Prime Minister ultimately depends on the numerical strength and majority in the Lok Sabha following an election.
The Congress–TVK alliance was formalized at a key meeting in Chennai on the 9th of this month, attended by several senior Tamil Nadu Congress leaders. The subsequent remarks regarding the prime ministerial candidate have now brought the leadership question into renewed political discussion.
