Palaniswami says Vijay could 'even become the President of America' in swipe at PM pitch

Palaniswami mocks Vijay's PM pitch

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday responded with sarcasm to TVK supporters projecting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay as a future prime minister. Speaking to reporters, Palaniswami said, "He could even become the President of America. There is nothing wrong with it, it is his wish," according to PTI reports.

In a separate exchange at Coimbatore airport, Palaniswami elaborated: "There is nothing wrong in dreaming. One can dream of becoming the Prime Minister, the President of India, or even replacing Donald Trump as the US President. But running a government requires real ground work, not just rolling out reels. Reels will not work there."

'Costly chief minister' and law-and-order claims

Palaniswami called Vijay a "costly chief minister" and contrasted his administration's spending with that of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa. "During Amma's tenure, projects were inaugurated via video conferencing to cut costs," he said. He also targeted the government's social media presence, saying, "They are running the government by putting out 'reels' here; that won't work there."

The AIADMK leader alleged a breakdown of law and order, noting that Coimbatore alone had witnessed nine murders in a month. "Within 110 days, the law and order situation has completely collapsed. Wherever you look, murders, robberies, and clashes are increasing," he said, according to Hindustan Times. In other comments, he accused the Chief Minister of "recklessly announcing schemes" under Rule 110 without financial backing, warning that state debt could reach Rs 10 lakh crore if borrowing continued at current rates. He also cited rising prices of essential commodities and said the government had taken no concrete steps to check inflation. Summing up his criticism, he predicted: "Looking at all this, this government will not last for five years."

Palaniswami also alleged rising corruption, saying bribe demands had doubled across departments. "Earlier, officials used to demand Rs 10,000 as a bribe; now, they are demanding Rs 20,000. If people drop TVK chief Vijay's name to get their work done, officials end up asking for even more," he said, citing recent DVAC raids as evidence. He dismissed speculation that AIADMK legislators might switch to the TVK camp, pointing to ongoing court cases over defected lawmakers.

TVK's national ambitions

TVK leaders have been publicly positioning Vijay as a potential prime ministerial candidate. PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna said the country's top constitutional office should be held by a leader from Tamil Nadu. Senior TVK leader KA Sengottaiyan said, "People from north Indian states are also looking forward to our leader Vijay; he is the one who has the power to rule the entire India." TVK MLA Kallanai expressed confidence that Vijay would eventually lead the country and hoist the national flag at the Red Fort, PTI reported.

Congress ally's cautions

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram downplayed the projections, saying that while party workers may have deep admiration for their leader, national leadership depends on securing the numbers to form a government. "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," he said, according to Times of India.

Amid the political wrangling, the TVK-led government was formed after the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, with the party emerging as the largest force and receiving support from VCK, IUML, Congress, CPI and CPM. Tamil Nadu tourism minister S Rajesh Kumar said the Congress's ministers will resign if TVK fails to support Rahul Gandhi in the 2029 general elections. Kumar asserted that Rahul Gandhi is the only candidate the Congress would support.

Context

Palaniswami's remarks came as TVK leaders marked the party's 100 days in office, with some comparing Vijay to former chief ministers MGR and Jayalalithaa. A private media survey has placed Vijay among the preferred candidates for PM in 2029, behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi.