CHENNAI: Left parties have decided to contest the upcoming bypolls to the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies separately, with the CPM contesting Madurantakam and the CPI Dharapuram. The decision comes despite the two Left parties continuing to extend outside support to the ruling TVK government.
Speaking to reporters in Tiruchy after the party's state committee meeting on Saturday, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam said the party's state committee had decided to field Left candidates in both constituencies along with the CPI and CPI(ML) Liberation.
“None of the three existing alliances has the Left parties. This is not a general election or an election for a change of government. Therefore, we have decided to contest the bypolls independently, with the CPM contesting one seat and the CPI another,” he said.
He said the candidates would be introduced at a meeting of the state secretaries of the CPM, CPI and CPI(ML) Liberation in Chennai on September 15. The last date for filing nominations is September 16.
In Chennai, CPI state secretary M Veerapandian said the party's state executive had also decided to continue its earlier stand of not joining any alliance in the prevailing political situation. He said the CPI would contest Dharapuram, while the CPM would contest Madurantakam.
Veerapandian said the CPI had supported the TVK government from outside after the Assembly election to respect the people's mandate and prevent the Governor from sitting over the people's power and the BJP from gaining indirect control of the government. “We have neither joined the cabinet nor the alliance,” he said.
Both leaders clarified that contesting the bypolls independently would not mean withdrawing support to the TVK government.
Shanmugam said the Left parties had differences with the government over several issues, including aspects of its budget and the implementation of liberal and neo-liberal economic policies. These issues, along with the need for the Assembly to function democratically and serve as a forum to discuss people's issues, would figure in the campaign, he said.
He also criticised the two TVK candidates, who had won the seats on AIADMK tickets in the recent Assembly election before resigning and joining TVK within 20 days. “They have not been able to give any reasonable justification for their decision. We had criticised it then and our criticism continues,” he said.
Shanmugam said the CPM would also seek support from other parties that were not part of the three existing alliances. “We will directly meet the leaders of other parties and seek their support for the Left candidates,” he said.
On the government's focus on attracting foreign investment, Shanmugam said the government should disclose details of the investments it claimed to have attracted, including the source, employment generated and projects proposed. He also stressed the need to protect domestic and small-scale industries through financial allocations, tax concessions and credit support.
Veerapandian said the Left parties wanted to strengthen their presence in the Assembly to amplify the voice of workers and ordinary people. He appealed to democratic forces and voters in the two constituencies to support the Left candidates.