T.N. elections: RSS trying to rule Tamil Nadu by proxy, says Rahul Gandhi
T.N. elections: RSS trying to rule Tamil Nadu by proxy, says Rahul Gandhi
M.U.H
20/04/202615
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday (April 20, 2026) alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is attempting to rule Tamil Nadu “by proxy.”
Addressing an Assembly election campaign at the government aided college ground in Mandaikadu, in support of the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) candidates contesting across the six constituencies of Kanniyakumari district, he said: “The RSS is planning to, and trying to, rule Tamil Nadu by proxy. The same way Donald Trump [President of the United States] controls the Prime Minister of India, the Prime Minister of India wants to control Tamil Nadu through the AIADMK.”
On the other hand, the DMK, Congress, and their allies “are defending Tamil language, culture, and history from the RSS.” According to him, the RSS “hates the Dravidian idea” because they know that Tamils can challenge them.
Tamil Nadu has shown a progressive vision to the rest of the country, with the politics in the State historically been rooted in social justice, he said.
Recalling his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which began in Kanniyakumari, he said its aim was to unite the country and convey a message that the nation is made up of diverse ideas, traditions, religions, and histories that must coexist in harmony, love, and affection.
“We are fighting an ideological battle with the BJP and RSS, which believe in a fundamentally different idea of India,” he said.
Language, culture, and tradition are not to be attacked, he said, stressing that every State in India should have its own voice and representation, with its own people governing themselves.
Remarking that the BJP does not share this vision, he charged that the party believes that one tradition, one language, and one history should overpower all languages, histories, and traditions. “This is what our fight is about,” he noted.
“We want Tamil Nadu to be run by the people of Tamil Nadu; the men and women of Tamil Nadu should decide its future,“ he said.
Mr. Gandhi further alleged that the BJP seeks to weaken the diversity of States and wants to rule Tamil Nadu from Delhi.
Referring to the violence that occurred in Manipur, he said wherever possible, the BJP attempts to capture power and govern a State from the national capital.
‘BJP has taken control of AIADMK’
Mr. Gandhi also alleged that the BJP does not have the courage to communicate this directly to the people of Tamil Nadu, but has instead taken control of the AIADMK, a “glorious political party” that has contributed to the development of the State.
Mr. Gandhi said the AIADMK once had leaders who truly represented the people of Tamil Nadu, but has now become a hollow shell and an instrument for the BJP to enter Tamil Nadu.
He alleged that the leaders of the AIADMK has surrendered themselves to the BJP due to their corruption.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal, AICC in-charge of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Girish Chodankar, DMK candidates R. Mahesh (Kanniyakumari) and S. Austin (Nagercoil), Congress candidates Tharahai Cuthbert (Colachel), S. Rajesh Kumar (Killiyoor), and T.T, Praveen (Vilavancode), and CPI(M) candidate R. Chellasamy (Padmanabhapuram) participated in the meeting.
