Chennai, Sept 23:
The CPI Tamil Nadu secretary M Veerapandian has hit back at TVK general secretary and Minister Aadhav Arjuna over his remarks questioning the Left parties over alleged corruption during the previous DMK regime.
Veerapandian said the Communist parties could not be held responsible for every decision taken or every alleged irregularity during the tenure of a government that they had supported from outside.
Explaining the CPI’s position, he said the Left parties had extended support to the previous DMK government based on a political understanding and in the interest of defending democracy. Such support, he maintained, did not mean that the Communist parties had approved every decision taken by the government.
“Should we be asked five years later to answer for mistakes committed by others?” Veerapandian asked, while responding to the criticism directed at the Left.
He also advised Aadhav Arjuna to study the history of the Communist movement before making allegations against the Left parties. Veerapandian said the minister should also explain the history and political role of the Communist movement to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.
Veerapandian further claimed that no Communist leader had been convicted by a court in a corruption case during the long history of the Communist movement. His remarks came amid growing political exchanges between the ruling TVK and the Left parties, which are extending outside support to the Vijay government.
The CPI secretary also sought to make it clear that the Communist parties had no intention of destabilising the present government. He said differences with the government would continue to be expressed through democratic and political means.
Veerapandian said criticism or opposition to particular government decisions should not automatically be interpreted as an attempt to bring down the government. The Left parties, he maintained, would continue to raise issues they considered important while allowing the government to function.
The exchange marks another point of friction between the TVK government and its outside supporters, even as the Left parties have maintained that their support to the government does not prevent them from questioning its policies or decisions.