Tamil Nadu’s expanded Cabinet under Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay was sworn in on Thursday at Lok Bhavan in Chennai, but the ceremony briefly turned contentious when Congress legislator S Rajesh Kumar departed from the prescribed oath and invoked Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and K Kamaraj, prompting Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to intervene.
Rajesh Kumar, the Congress legislature party leader from Killiyoor, was among the new ministers inducted into the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government. As he read from the official oath paper, he suddenly praised the Congress leadership and Kamaraj’s legacy. Arlekar immediately stopped him, pointing out that the remarks were not part of the oath. An official then stepped in and directed Kumar back to the written text, after which he completed the formal oath.
The episode added a sharp political note to a ceremony already being watched closely because it marked the Congress’ return to the Tamil Nadu Council of Ministers after nearly six decades. Rajesh Kumar and P Viswanathan were inducted as Congress representatives in the ministry, giving the national party a formal role in the state government despite its small legislative presence.
Vijay’s Cabinet expansion came less than two weeks after he took office on 10 May, following a dramatic post-election phase in which his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single-largest party but required outside support to secure power in the 234-member Assembly. The actor-turned-politician was sworn in at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, with Rahul Gandhi among the political figures present.
Thursday’s expansion brought in a broader set of legislators from TVK and allied parties, addressing criticism that several departments had remained without full ministerial oversight since the first phase of government formation. Among those inducted were TVK legislators from Salem South, Aranthangi, Coimbatore North, Kancheepuram, Tambaram, Tirupur North and R K Nagar, reflecting an effort to widen regional representation across the state.
The oath-taking controversy was not limited to Rajesh Kumar. TVK legislator A Vijay Tamilan Parthiban, who represents Salem South, also added a slogan after taking oath, praising Chief Minister Vijay and invoking Tamil identity. Another TVK member, Thennarasu from Sriperumbudur, concluded his oath with a statement of loyalty to the party leader and the organisation. These departures underscored the ceremonial tension between constitutional protocol and partisan expression at a moment when the new government is seeking to consolidate authority.
Under constitutional practice, ministers are required to take the oath of office and secrecy in the prescribed form. Governors administering the oath generally insist that the text be followed without additions, slogans or political affirmations. Arlekar’s intervention therefore signalled a strict reading of the ceremony’s formal requirements, even as the political symbolism of the event remained unmistakable.
For the Congress, the induction of Rajesh Kumar and Viswanathan carries significance beyond ministerial arithmetic. The party had been absent from the state Cabinet for 59 years, a period shaped by the dominance of Dravidian parties and shifting alliance politics. Its entry into Vijay’s ministry follows its decision to support the TVK government after the Assembly verdict produced a fragmented mandate.
Vijay’s government is attempting to balance several political pressures at once. TVK needs to preserve its image as a new force in Tamil Nadu politics while managing the expectations of parties that helped it cross the majority threshold. Congress support came with political conditions, including resistance to any arrangement perceived as benefiting communal forces. VCK and Left parties have also backed the government, while debates continue over whether smaller allies or outside supporters should receive ministerial accommodation.
The Cabinet expansion is also being interpreted as an early test of Vijay’s administrative approach. His first phase in office included retaining key portfolios such as Home, Police and Public Administration, indicating a preference for direct control over core governance functions. The wider ministry now gives the government more hands across departments at a time when it faces public expectations over welfare delivery, law and order, employment, infrastructure and state finances.
