Tiruchirappalli

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol Thirumavalavan on Wednesday endorsed senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s view that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin should lead the opposition INDIA alliance.

Speaking to ANI, Thirumavalavan said Stalin’s leadership would be appropriate to head the opposition bloc. “I endorse the statement made by Mani Shankar Aiyar that Chief Minister MK Stalin should be the leader of the INDIA alliance. His leadership would be suitable for heading the alliance,” he said.

Earlier this week, Aiyar had suggested that Stalin was the “best man to consolidate” the INDIA bloc, arguing that a united national opposition requires strong leadership and strategic coordination. He said Stalin focuses on substantive issues rather than sloganeering and would not stand in the way of Rahul Gandhi becoming Prime Minister.

Aiyar also drew a parallel with former Congress stalwart K. Kamaraj, who had declined the prime ministership after Jawaharlal Nehru, suggesting that leadership should prioritise unity over personal ambition. He implied that Stalin could play a similar unifying, kingmaker role for the opposition.

The former Union minister, who served in the UPA-I government under Manmohan Singh, also criticised sections of the Congress leadership, including party spokesperson Pawan Khera and AICC general secretary K. C. Venugopal.

Additionally, Aiyar predicted that the ruling Left Democratic Front would retain power in the upcoming Kerala Assembly polls, citing what he described as the achievements of the Pinarayi Vijayan government, even as he said he personally wished for a victory of the United Democratic Front.

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Aiyar’s remarks sparked a political row, with the Congress distancing itself from his statements and asserting that he was no longer part of the party. Responding to this, Aiyar said he remained a Gandhian and Nehruvian, but not aligned with the current Congress leadership.