BJP leader claims no unity between TVK and Congress over 2029 PM face
BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran on Wednesday alleged that there is no unity between Tamilaga Vettri Vazhagam (TVK) and the Congress regarding a prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. He was interacting with journalists at Samayapuram near Tiruchi.
Mr. Nagenthran noted that the state Congress president has publicly backed Rahul Gandhi as the party's prime ministerial candidate, while the TVK is projecting its leader C. Joseph Vijay, popularly known as actor Vijay, for the same position. This divergence, he said, clearly showed a lack of coordination between the two parties.
The BJP leader went on to question the need for the State government to spend ₹5 crore for the Chief Minister's visit to Mettur via Salem to open the dam on Tuesday. He recalled that the Mettur dam itself was built at a cost of ₹4.8 crore many years ago. “We have a costly Chief Minister, for whose visit barricades were placed along the route,” he said.
He also took up the Cauvery water issue, saying that despite numerous requests to the Chief Minister to speak out after Karnataka refused to release water from the river, no statement has been made. Mr. Nagenthran pointed out that even if water has been released from Mettur dam, it would take 12 days to reach the tail-end areas in the delta region.
Referring to the impact of the water shortage, he said two lakh hectares of farmland in the delta region have not been cultivated this season. He urged the State government to provide adequate compensation to affected farmers at the earliest.
The remarks reflect the continuing political friction over alliance alignments and state governance issues. Tamilaga Vettri Vazhagam, founded by actor Vijay in 2024, has been making political forays, while the Congress is a longstanding constituent of the ruling front in Tamil Nadu. However, Nainar Nagenthran's statements are his own assertions as a representative of the opposition BJP.
