Date:08/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/08/stories/2008080854740400.htm

Tamil Nadu

CPI (M) to decide on alliance by September-end

Staff Reporter

PUDUKOTTAI: The state committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) will take a decision on alliance by September end , the party’s State secretary, N. Varadarajan, said.

Addressing presspersons at the end of the party’s two-day state committee meeting here on Thursday, Mr. Varadarajan said the State unit of the party, in co-ordination with the Communist Party of India, would hold consultations with political parties which do not want to go with either the Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“We will focus on the five issues of rising inflation, anti-farmer policies, the Indo-US nuclear deal, communalism, and misuse of the governmental agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation,” he said. The CPI (M) would forge an alliance with parties protesting against these issues, he said and added that the state committee had adopted a resolution in this regard.

In reply to a question, he said that the CPI (M) would sever its ties with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) if the ruling party went on to continue its alliance with the Congress.

He charged the State government with resorting to ‘lopsided distribution’ of power, resulting in a crisis in power supply and seriously affecting agriculture and commerce in the state. Non-execution of power generation projects to meet the demand, lack of proper maintenance and monitoring of the thermal power plants in the state has led to the shortage. “People have been hard hit by power crisis,” he said urging the state government to streamline the power generation scenario.

Mr. Varadarajan demanded that employees of multi-national companies be given the right to form workers’ unions. Employees of these firms who were either dismissed from service or placed under suspension could not seek any legal remedy. The state government should resolve the issue by introducing an Act recognising the trade unions to safeguard the rights of the employees of these companies.

He urged the state and Central governments to take immediate action to expedite the execution of the Sethusamuthram Shipping Canal Project.

The state committee adopted a resolution condemning attempts made by the BJP and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) to stall the project in the name of religious beliefs.

Central committee members of the party T.K. Rengarajan, A.K. Padmanaban, U. Vasuki, G. Ramakrishnan and Polit Bureau Member K. Varadarajan addressed party cadres.