CPM defends backing TVK, says move blocked President's Rule and respected mandate

CHENNAI: Defending the Left parties' decision to extend outside support to the TVK government, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam has said the move was necessary to prevent President's Rule in Tamil Nadu and honour the people's verdict for political change beyond the traditional DMK-AIADMK binary.

In a detailed article published in the party mouthpiece Theekathir, Shanmugam hit back at criticism from DMK supporters and pro-DMK commentators, who have questioned the CPM's decision to support the government led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay despite contesting the Assembly election as part of the DMK-led alliance.

Arguing that the post-election arithmetic left little room for alternatives, Shanmugam said the CPM state committee examined three possible scenarios: supporting TVK, backing an AIADMK government with DMK support, or paving the way for President's Rule and possibly fresh elections.

"The first responsibility was to prevent President's Rule," he said, alleging that such an outcome would have effectively placed the state under the control of the BJP-led Union government through the Governor.

Shanmugam maintained that TVK, which emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats, had a legitimate claim to form the government despite falling short of a majority.

He accused the Governor of insisting on proof of majority before inviting the party to form the government, contending that constitutional conventions required the largest party to be given the first opportunity and prove its strength on the Assembly floor.

The CPM leader said the election verdict reflected a public desire for an alternative to both the DMK and AIADMK. "People voted for a change in government and not merely a change of faces," he wrote, adding that nearly 1.72 crore voters had backed such a shift.

Rejecting suggestions that the DMK should have supported an AIADMK-led administration, Shanmugam described the proposal as "blatant opportunism". He argued that the electorate had decisively rejected the BJP-AIADMK alliance and that installing a defeated coalition in power would have amounted to disregarding the mandate.

In one of his sharpest attacks on critics, Shanmugam questioned the argument that governance in Tamil Nadu should remain confined to Dravidian parties. He said such views effectively sought to prevent any alternative political force from assuming office, regardless of the electorate's verdict.

The CPM leader also sought to explain TVK's electoral success, saying the party had successfully tapped into public dissatisfaction with the previous DMK government. He cited allegations of corruption, unfulfilled election promises, delays in implementing welfare commitments, crimes against women and children, and concerns over resource exploitation as issues amplified through social media campaigns.

While acknowledging that TVK and Vijay lacked prior administrative experience, Shanmugam dismissed criticism centred on the Chief Minister's film background. Drawing parallels with former chief ministers MG Ramachandran and NT Rama Rao, he said similar doubts had been raised when they entered politics but were ultimately rejected by voters.

Shanmugam said TVK had assured the Left parties that it would uphold secular values, run an inclusive administration and provide clean governance. He stressed that CPM's support was not unconditional and that the party would back measures benefiting the public while opposing policies detrimental to workers, farmers and the poor.

The article also signalled the CPM's intention to closely monitor the new government's economic policies. Shanmugam said the administration would be judged on issues such as employment generation, wage security, corruption control, reduction of economic inequality and fulfilment of election promises.

Calling the Assembly election a turning point in Tamil Nadu politics, he said the dominance of the DMK-AIADMK duopoly had suffered a setback after more than five decades, creating a new political landscape in the state.