AIADMK leader mocks TVK chief's PM aspirations, calls Vijay a 'costly chief minister'

NEW DELHI: As TVK leaders project Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay as the next Prime Minister, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday took a sharp jibe at TVK chief, saying that he could "even become the President of the United States." Mocking Vijay's extensive public relations campaigns and penchant for chartered flights, EPS said, "He could even become the President of America. There is nothing wrong with it, it is his wish." "They are running the government by putting out 'reels' here; that won't work there," he added. He also labelled Vijay as a "costly chief minister" and contrasted the current administration's expenditure with that of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa. "During Amma's tenure, projects were inaugurated via video conferencing to cut costs," Palaniswami said. This comes amid a recent push by TVK leaders to project Vijay as a potential contender for the PM's post. TVK PWD minister Aadhav Arjuna had earlier said the country's top constitutional office should be held by a leader from Tamil Nadu. TVK leaders, including KA Sengottaiyan and D Sarathkumar, have compared Vijay with former Tamil Nadu chief ministers MGR and Jayalalithaa, claiming he would not only rule Tamil Nadu but also lead the country in the future. TVK MLA Kallanai, who organised an event marking the party's 100 days in office, said people had immense faith in Vijay's leadership. He expressed confidence that Vijay would eventually lead the country and hoist the national flag at the Red Fort as a representative of the Tamil people, news agency PTI reported. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said that while party workers may have deep admiration for their leader, national leadership ultimately depends on securing the numbers required to form a government. "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, according to ANI.

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He said every political party has its own ambitions and aspirations, but any prime ministerial aspirant must ultimately have the numbers to command a majority in 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," Chidambaram said. The issue has gained further attention after a private media survey placed Vijay among the preferred candidates for PM in 2029, behind PM Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. The TVK government was formed after the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, when the party emerged as the largest force and formed the government with support from VCK, IUML, Congress, CPI and CPM.

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