No limit to imagination: DMK, Congress push back against 'Vijay For PM' pitch

The latest India Today-CVoter Mood of the Nation survey placed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay among the top choices for Prime Minister, giving a fresh push for the TVK to amplify the 'Vijay for PM' narrative. The pitch has now drawn sharp criticism from the opposition DMK and the TVK’s ally, Congress.While DMK leader RS Bharathi mocked the TVK’s rhetoric, saying there was "no limit to their imagination", Congress leader Manickam Tagore took an indirect swipe at the narrative. Without naming Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay or directly referring to the PM preference survey, Tagore said. "Not every number tells the truth. Not every survey is the voice of the people."Vijay ranked third in the latest survey published on August 28, behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.When asked about the PM preferences and TVK's push, DMK secretary Bharathi said, "If party members speak, they will even say that he is going to become the head of the United Nations. Imagination, imagination, there is no limit to their imagination. Let them think whatever they want". He also questioned the implications of projecting Vijay as prime minister while Rahul Gandhi remains the Congress's Prime Ministerial face. Congress and TVK are ruling allies in Tamil Nadu."The moment someone says that he will become the Prime Minister, they have already decided that it will not be Rahul Gandhi, haven’t they?" he said. "If Congress workers have any self-respect, let them come out and say that they have decided Rahul Gandhi will not become the Prime Minister. No, no, he will be the Prime Minister, and let these people keep worshipping him," Bharathi added.Congress MP Manickam Tagore, meanwhile, took aim at the survey without directly naming Vijay or the TVK.Sharing a Tamil post on X titled "The Fox's Fake Poll", Tagore narrated a fable in which a fox conducts a purported survey among animals and uses its findings to create distrust between a lion and an elephant.The story questions the survey's methodology, asking how many animals were questioned, where the survey was conducted, whom the fox spoke to, what questions were asked and how the results were calculated.Tagore then wrote, "Not every number tells the truth. Not every survey is the voice of the people".Tagore's post ended with the hashtag #MOTN, making his target apparent even though he did not directly refer to Vijay or the TVK in the post.As Vijay completed 100 days in office after pulling off a stunning political upset to storm to power by defeating the Dravidian heavyweights in Tamil Nadu, a new political narrative began gaining traction online and offline -- Vijay for PM in 2029. The national ambition even found expression on the ground, with posters backing Vijay for the Prime Minister’s post appearing in parts of Tamil Nadu, including Thoothukudi.- EndsPublished On: Aug 31, 2026 10:18 IST