Chennai: The Congress’s attempt to project Rahul Gandhi as “Thalaiva (leader)” in Tamil Nadu, along with his public support for actor-politician Vijay-starrer Jana Nayagan hours before landing in the state, is being seen by political analysts as a signal aimed at alliance dynamics and boosting cadre morale, rather than a mass appeal strategy.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was in the state to attend the Golden Jubilee Celebration of St. Thomas English High School in Gudalur in Nilgiris district.
For a party that has been reduced to a single-digit vote share in the state and has not been in power since 1967, the move is striking. The Congress, once a rival of the Dravidian party, today electorally survives only through its partnership with the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Officially, the Congress is still in alliance with the DMK, but not part of the Cabinet. In the 2021 assembly polls, the DMK won 133 of the state’s 234 constituencies and formed the government on its own, without needing the support of the allies.
“In that context, elevating Rahul Gandhi with a Tamil cultural idiom, Thalaiva, traditionally reserved for dominant regional figures, appears to be aspirational,” political analyst N. Sathiya Moorthy told ThePrint.
Political analysts also say the portrayal of Rahul Gandhi as “Thalaiva“, giving air to speculations of a Congress alliance with Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and the Congress leaders seeking more share in power are all pressure tactics to bargain a better seat-sharing deal with the ruling DMK in the 2026 assembly elections.
“After losing the power to the Dravidian party, the Congress has mostly chosen to contest with the ruling DMK,” Sunil Kumar, Assistant Professor of political science at Hindustan University, told ThePrint. “In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, when they decided to contest alone, their (Congress’s) vote share across the state was just 4.5 percent and this shows the Congress’s strength.”
Ever since the Congress formed a committee led by All India Congress Committee(AICC) in-charge for Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar to hold the seat-sharing talks with the DMK, there have been voices inside the congress demanding a share in power.
“Every party would aspire to come to power, and so does the Congress. We aspire to share power in the state, but that would not be a pre-condition to join the alliance,” state Congress president K. Selvaperunthagai told ThePrint, acknowledging the party cadres’ aspiration to share power in the state.
The I&B Ministry’s attempt to block ‘Jana Nayagan’ is an attack on Tamil culture.
Mr Modi, you will never succeed in suppressing the voice of the Tamil people.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 13, 2026
While some Congress workers might be signalling their willingness to reach a possible electoral understanding with Vijay’s TVK, the party’s leadership is said to be firm on the alliance with DMK.
A senior TNCC leader told ThePrint that the committee formed to hold alliance talks has already met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin and deliberations are on.
“So, there is no going back. But, there are aspirations within the party to join hands with Vijay’s TVK. We are a democratic party and we don’t stop their voices. But, at the end of the day, it is for the national leadership to take a call on the alliance,” the senior leader told ThePrint.
Rahul’s support for Jana Nayagan
Earlier in the day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged the Centre’s “attempt to block” Vijay-starrer Jana Nayagan is an attack on Tamil culture. “Mr. Modi, you will never succeed in suppressing the voice of Tamil people,” Rahul Gandhi posted in X.
His remarks came a day after the Jana Nayagan’s producer approached the Supreme Court, challenging an interim order of the Madras High Court that stayed a single-judge direction to grant the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) clearance to the movie.
This is not the first time that Rahul Gandhi has stepped in support of Vijay’s movie. In 2017, when Vijay-starrer Mersal faced resistance from a section of the BJP in the state, he took X, to voice his support for the movie.
“Mr. Modi, Cinema is a deep expression of Tamil culture and language. Don’t try to demon-etise Tamil pride by interfering in Mersal,” he posted.
Congress leaders in the state ThePrint spoke to Tuesday said Rahul Gandhi’s expression of support is not out of political reason, but because of the personal rapport between him and Vijay.
“Not just for movies, even after the Karur stampede, which claimed the lives of 41 people, Rahul first spoke to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and then, he called Vijay and spoke to him. So, everything need not be about politics,” a senior leader told ThePrint.
Political analysts in the state say that the Congress is looking to increase its presence on the ground by increasing its number of seats in the assembly.
“But, to increase the number of seats, it is more unlikely to join the TVK. Because, even to retain the 10 MPS and the 18 MLAs, they have to be with the DMK. The existing TVK workers may not support the Congress, and if the Congress joins the TVK, they have to face the wrath of not just the AIADMK and BJP, but also the DMK, which is very unlikely given their numbers in the Lok Sabha,” Sunil Kumar told ThePrint.
When asked about it, DMK leaders downplayed it and said that the party leadership will take care of the alliance.
“The DMK is firm on the alliance. The alliance politics in Tamil Nadu is driven by ground realities. So, the alliance remains focused on defeating the BJP rather than indulging in criticising each other,” DMK spokesperson T.K.S. Elangovan told ThePrint.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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