Chennai, May 21: For the first time in nearly six decades, the Congress Party is set to join the Tamil Nadu Cabinet. On Thursday, two party legislators will take their oaths as ministers in the government led by the Tamil Nadu Vetrikazhagam (TVK). This announcement follows the approval from Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge to include party members S. Rajesh Kumar and P. Vishwanathan in Chief Minister Joseph Vijay’s state cabinet.
This development is viewed as a significant political shift in Tamil Nadu. Observers suggest it marks the beginning of a new era of power-sharing within the ruling coalition that supports the TVK government. Speaking on the occasion, Congress MP Manickam Tagore described this moment as historic for the party after such a long wait.
He stated, “This is a very important day for Congress. We all feel that 59 years is a long time. The Congress Party has always stood for the people. We have shared power with others and have waited many years to come to power in Tamil Nadu. Today is a very significant day for us.”
K. Selva Perunthagai, the Tamil Nadu Congress President, noted that the oath-taking ceremony coincides with the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He expressed confidence that the newly appointed ministers would work in line with Gandhi’s ideals.
He remarked, “Today marks the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi. Following the path shown by him, our ministers will certainly work hard for the people and Congress workers.”
Girish Chodankar, in charge of Congress in Tamil Nadu, mentioned that party workers are extremely excited about this development. He attributed it to the long-standing demand for representation in governance.
He said, “Our workers are very happy and excited, as they have long desired power-sharing and respect in the government, and now they have achieved it. We dedicate these two ministries to our party workers, who have stood firm with our ideology through good and bad times, even when we had no hope of coming to power.”
Congress leader Thirunavukkarasar welcomed the decision and thanked the TVK leadership for including the party in the cabinet. He said, “This is a good and welcome step. I appreciate TVK President and current CM Vijay for proposing this and including Congress in the cabinet. It is a commendable move on their part, and I thank them on behalf of Congress and its workers.”
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader K.V. Thangabalu expressed happiness over the party’s inclusion in the ministry after 59 years. He recalled that in 2009, they had demanded a power-sharing arrangement, which was agreed upon by M. Karunanidhi at the time, but it did not materialize.
It is noteworthy that Congress has supported the TVK party in Tamil Nadu in the event of the latter not securing a clear majority.
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