Chennai, May 16 (IANS) Communist Party of India (Marxist) Tamil Nadu State Secretary P. Shanmugam on Saturday clarified that the decision of the CPI(M), along with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), to extend support to the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government was aimed at preventing the imposition of President’s Rule in the State.

Addressing reporters after participating in a protest against the recent increase in fuel prices, Shanmugam said the support extended to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay was not a collective decision of the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), but rather a political step taken by the three parties to ensure political stability and safeguard the mandate given by the people.

He said the Assembly election had produced a fractured verdict where no major political formation secured the numbers required to independently form a government.

According to him, while both the DMK and AIADMK failed to secure sufficient strength, TVK had emerged as the single largest party and therefore had the first opportunity to stake a claim to form the government.

“If TVK had failed to form the government, the possibility of President’s Rule in Tamil Nadu could not have been ruled out,” he said.

Shanmugam alleged that such a development would have created an opportunity for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to exercise influence in the State through indirect means.

“We wanted to prevent that possibility. Our support was intended to avoid a situation that goes against the verdict delivered by the people,” he said.

At the same time, the CPM leader indicated that continued support for the Vijay government would depend on its governance and implementation of promises made during the election campaign.

“Chief Minister Vijay has assured people of good governance. The government must now fulfil the commitments made to the public. Future support will depend on performance,” he said.

Earlier, during the protest meeting, Shanmugam strongly criticised the recent increase in prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas, stating that the hike would significantly affect common people and businesses.

He said the rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices had severely impacted the hotel industry, resulting in financial losses, job cuts and closure of establishments.

He also urged the Centre to immediately roll back the fuel price hike.

–IANS

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