Congress returns to Tamil Nadu govt after 60 years, minister’s Rahul Gandhi slogan sparks row
In a historic political moment for the Congress in Tamil Nadu, the party on Thursday joined the state government for the first time in nearly six decades. But the swearing-in ceremony of Congress MLA S Rajesh Kumar quickly turned controversial after he raised slogans praising Rahul Gandhi during his oath-taking.
Congress back in power corridors after 1967
The Congress, which has five MLAs in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government headed by actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay.
This marks the first time since 1967 that the Congress has formally become part of the Tamil Nadu government.
S Rajesh Kumar, the Congress Legislature Party leader representing Killiyoor constituency, was among the two Congress MLAs inducted into the Cabinet during Vijay’s expansion exercise.
Rahul Gandhi mention during oath draws Governor’s reaction
The controversy erupted when S Rajesh Kumar, while reading out the official oath text, suddenly hailed senior Congress leaders from the podium.
As seen in videos from the ceremony, he declared: “Long live Kamaraj, long live Bharat Ratna Rajiv Gandhi, long live people’s leader Rahul Gandhi.”
The remarks prompted an immediate response from Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar, who was administering the oath.
#Watch | Congress MLA's Rajiv & Rahul Gandhi Slogan During Oath, Governor Corrects Himhttps://t.co/zhbctnTl5b pic.twitter.com/wY86BWbQ6R
— NDTV (@ndtv) May 21, 2026
“That is not part of your oath,” the governor remarked with a smile, drawing laughter and visible amusement from Rajesh Kumar as he proceeded to sign the oath register.
Congress broke away from DMK to back Vijay
The Congress had earlier snapped its long-standing alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to support Vijay’s TVK after the actor’s party fell short of a majority in the Assembly election.
Though Congress remained an ally of the DMK for nearly two decades, it was never given representation in DMK-led state Cabinets during that period.
Congress was among the first parties to extend support to Vijay following the election results, helping the TVK form the government.
Vijay expands cabinet
Chief Minister Joseph Vijay had initially taken oath along with nine ministers on May 10.
Thursday’s Cabinet expansion saw the induction of 21 TVK MLAs and two Congress legislators into the ministry.
The expansion has also fuelled speculation that allies such as the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) could soon find representation in the government as well.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
