TVK will be invited to INDIA bloc once it wins MPs: Manickam Tagore
Synopsis
Congress leader Manickam Tagore has drawn a firm line: TVK gets an INDIA bloc invite only after it wins MPs. But buried in the same press conference is a striking claim — that Congress support after Tamil Nadu's election was all that stood between Chief Minister Vijay and a BJP-engineered government with Palaniswami at the helm.
Key Takeaways
Congress leader Manickam Tagore said TVK will be invited to the INDIA bloc only after it wins parliamentary seats .
TVK won 106 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, making it the largest party, but holds no Lok Sabha seats .
Tagore claimed Chief Minister C.
Joseph Vijay called Rahul Gandhi first after election results to seek Congress support for government formation.
Congress was, according to Tagore, the first party to submit a letter of support to the TVK government.
Tagore alleged that without Congress backing, Home Minister Amit Shah would have moved to install AIADMK 's Edappadi K.
Palaniswami as Chief Minister.
Congress leader Manickam Tagore on Sunday stated that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) would be considered for inclusion in the INDIA bloc only after the party secures representation in Parliament, describing the Opposition alliance as fundamentally a coalition of parties with sitting Members of Parliament.
What Tagore Said
Addressing a press conference in Chennai, Tagore was responding to a question on whether Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's party had been brought into the INDIA bloc fold. 'The TVK currently has no MPs. When the party wins parliamentary seats, we will ask it to join the INDIA bloc. We cannot invite a party without MPs to become part of the alliance. Once it has MPs, we will certainly consider including it,' he said.
Congress Claims It Shielded TVK Government
Tagore recalled the political sequence that followed the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, in which the TVK emerged as the single largest party, securing 106 seats. According to him, Chief Minister Vijay's first call after the results came in was to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, seeking support to form the government and assume office.
'The Congress was the first party to submit a letter extending support to the TVK government. Every minister in the present government is aware of this fact,' Tagore said. He further alleged that Congress backing had forestalled a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-engineered alternative government in the state.
'Otherwise, Amit Shah would have finished the TVK's political story by now. The party could have been split, and Palaniswami made Chief Minister. Everyone in the TVK understands the circumstances under which the government was formed,' he claimed, referring to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
On Vijay's Silence on National Politics
Asked about the Chief Minister's limited public commentary on national politics and alliance matters, Tagore offered a measured defence. 'Let the election come first. Vijay generally speaks very little, but when the time comes for him to express his position, he will speak clearly and appropriately,' he said.
What This Signals Ahead of Lok Sabha Polls
Tagore's remarks have renewed speculation over the trajectory of the Congress-TVK relationship, particularly with the next Lok Sabha election on the horizon. His position, however, draws a clear condition: any formal INDIA bloc membership for TVK hinges on the party first winning parliamentary seats — a benchmark it has yet to meet. The statement effectively puts the ball in TVK's court ahead of the next national election cycle.
Point of View
While preserving Congress's leverage as the alliance's gatekeeper in Tamil Nadu. More striking is the claim that Congress shielded the TVK government from a BJP-engineered collapse: if true, it suggests the post-election moment in Tamil Nadu was far more volatile than public reporting captured. That Congress now feels the need to remind TVK of this debt — publicly, at a press conference — hints at friction beneath the surface of an otherwise cordial arrangement. Vijay's studied silence on national politics, meanwhile, is a double-edged strategy: it avoids premature commitments but risks ceding the narrative to allies who are increasingly willing to define the terms of any future partnership.
NationPress
23 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Will TVK join the INDIA bloc?
TVK has not yet joined the INDIA bloc. Congress leader Manickam Tagore said on Sunday that TVK will be considered for inclusion only after the party wins parliamentary seats, a condition it has not yet met.
Why is TVK not currently part of the INDIA bloc?
According to Tagore, the INDIA bloc is a coalition of parties with sitting MPs, and TVK currently holds no Lok Sabha seats. The alliance's entry condition, as stated by Congress, is parliamentary representation.
What role did Congress play in forming the TVK government in Tamil Nadu?
Tagore claimed Congress was the first party to submit a letter of support to TVK after the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, and that this backing prevented the BJP from engineering an alternative government with AIADMK's Edappadi K. Palaniswami as Chief Minister.
How many seats did TVK win in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election?
TVK emerged as the largest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, securing 106 seats. However, the party does not hold any seats in the Lok Sabha, which is the stated barrier to INDIA bloc membership.
What did Manickam Tagore say about Chief Minister Vijay's silence on national politics?
Tagore said Vijay prefers to speak only when necessary, and that when the time comes for the Chief Minister to state his position on national and alliance matters, he will do so clearly and appropriately.
