Staff Reporter
The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Friday extended its support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by actor-politician C. Joseph Vijay for the formation of the next government in Tamil Nadu, asserting that the people of the state had delivered a clear mandate in favour of the party.
In a strongly worded statement, the CPI accused the BJP of attempting to create “uncertainty” through “backchannel manoeuvres” and alleged misuse of the Governor’s office instead of inviting the single largest party to form the government and prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.
The Left party said questions regarding majority must be settled democratically within the Assembly and not through “political manipulation behind the walls of Raj Bhavan”. It termed any attempt to deny the TVK an opportunity to form the government as “deeply undemocratic” and disrespectful to the people’s verdict.
The CPI further said Tamil Nadu has a long political and social legacy rooted in workers’ rights, communal harmony, rationalism, social justice, federalism and equality. According to the party, the ideology and politics of the RSS-BJP were contrary to these values and posed a threat to the secular and democratic character of the state.
The statement claimed that the people had rejected divisive and communal politics and voted with the expectation that a government reflecting the mandate would be formed. The CPI also cautioned against using “legal technicalities and selective interpretations” to create political space for the BJP in the state.
Expressing confidence in the incoming TVK government, the CPI said it expected the new administration to uphold and strengthen the historic values of social justice, secularism and equality in governance and public life.
The party said its decision to support the TVK was guided by the larger objective of building a “prosperous, secular, democratic and egalitarian” Tamil Nadu. It added that the CPI and the Left movement would continue to stand with workers, peasants, youth, women and oppressed sections while defending democratic values both inside and outside the legislature.