Making Rahul Gandhi PM in 2029 should be our objective, says B. Manickam Tagore

Congress MP from Virudhunagar B. Manickam Tagore on Monday (June 29, 2026) assumed charge as the president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) in the presence of senior leaders, Congress Ministers, MPs, and a few former TNCC chiefs at Sathyamurthy Bhavan in Chennai.

Mr. Tagore said assuming the post was akin to “running a marathon” and praised the contributions of his predecessors in building the party.

“Winning 40 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats (in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry) and ensuring that Rahul Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister in 2029 should be our target. Only Rahul Gandhi can ensure the abolition of NEET, protection of our rights over the Cauvery, ensure the security of fishermen, provide a fair devolution of taxes to Tamil Nadu, and Centre’s financial support. We have to build this narrative on the ground,” he said.

“History will show that in the last two years (outgoing TNCC chief) Selvaperunthagai had reclaimed the properties accrued by former Congress leader K. Kamaraj. He also played a key role in formation of Grama Committees across Tamil Nadu. In the two years, these would be one of the most important changes. My goal would be to do something something better,” he said.

On his run-ins with DMK leaders in the recent past, Mr. Tagore said he would hit back at those who attacked the Congress. “The TNCC is new to me. There may be certain issues with my approach. We are all human beings, but we have to understand that Congress alone is important. I have no personal dispute with K. Thalapathi (Madurai DMK leader), DMK MLA Anitha Radhakrishnan, DMK leader R.S. Bharathi. When they attack the Congress, I will hit back. Otherwise, we will mind our work. I haven’t said a word against DMK president M.K. Stalin,” he said.

He asked, “In every survey taken in Tamil Nadu, 60%-65% of people say that Rahul Gandhi should be the Prime Minister. The question before us is, why are people who like Rahul Gandhi not voting for the Congress? We have to put Rahul Gandhi in the front. The Tamil Nadu Assembly polls have shown us that money cannot win elections. The politics has changed.”

Mr. Tagore appealed to Congress Ministers to be present at Sathyamurthy Bhavan one day of the week to meet the cadre.

Mr. Selvaperunthagai said: “I am handing over the responsibility in the same way I took over the responsibility in 2024. We started Village Committees across Tamil Nadu for which Peter Alphonse also took on the responsibility. As many as 17,654 ward committees have been formed and around 1,64,000 ID cards with QR codes have been distributed. I thank everyone for the opportunity.”