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Chennai: The oath-taking ceremony of Congress leaders as ministers of Tamil Nadu took a controversial turn when one of them hailed Rahul Gandhi during the official event. Notably, the swearing-in ceremony was historic since it marked the first time that a Congress leader took oath as minister in the Tamil Nadu government after a gap of 59 years.

Congress MLAs S Rajesh Kumar and P Viswanathan were inducted to Chief Minister Thalapathy Vijay's Cabinet on Thursday. Kumar, who represents the Killiyoor constituency, read his oath from an official paper and derailed as he finished his oath, saying, "Long live leader of the people Kamarajar, long live Rajiv Gandhi and long live Rahul Gandhi."

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar, who was administering the oath, smiled and objected, saying, “It is not part of your oath.” Kumar smiled back at the Governor and went to sign his oath document.

The Congress, which has returned to the Tamil Nadu Cabinet after almost six decades, was a part of the state government was in 1967 before the Dravidian era permanently altered Tamil Nadu’s political landscape.

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal had announced the names of Rajesh Kumar and P Viswanathan for induction into the Cabinet on Wednesday and described the development as a “historic occasion” for the party.

“Congress joins the Tamil Nadu Cabinet after a long gap of 59 years,” Venugopal had said, expressing confidence that the ministers would work towards “welfare and pro-people governance”.

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