‘Trying to stop communal forces at any cost’: MA Baby after CPM offers support to TVK, slams TN Governor for ‘anti-democratic attitude’

New Delhi [India], May 8 (ANI): Shortly after extending support to TVK to form the government in Tamil Nadu, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary MA Baby on Friday alleged a conspiracy to organise alliances in the state that have been "rejected by people". He claimed that "communal forces", with the help of the Union government, orchestrated political uncertainty in Tamil Nadu, and their decision to join with TVK was an effort to stop such things from happening "at any cost".
Speaking with ANI, MA Baby criticised the Governor for not inviting Vijay to form a government in Tamil Nadu, despite the TVK emerging as the single majority in the assembly elections, calling it "highly anti-democratic," alleging a hidden agenda behind the move.
He affirmed that the CPI (M), CPI and VCK decided to extend support to TVK to prevent the same. He added that the leaders of the three parties also discussed the decision with the outgoing President, MK Stalin.
"Nobody staked the claim to form the government except Vijay. But the Governor did not permit. That's a highly anti democratic attitude of the Governor. We realised that there are various other moves to organise opportunistic alliances by those who have been rejected by people. This was mostly masterminded by the communal forces with the direct intervention of the Union government. We have decided that this has to be stopped at any cost. CPIM, CPI and VCK, after having had mutual consultation, have decided to inform our political decision to the leader of DMK, MK Stalin... The Governor's refusal to invite Vijay to take the oath of office of the Chief Minister shows that he has some other agenda," he said.
Meanwhile, actor-turned-politician and TVK chief Vijay is poised to take charge as the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after the party secured crucial support from key political allies and completed the required majority mark in the 234-member Assembly, sources and party leaders indicated on Friday.
The development comes after Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan, where he formally staked claim to form the government after consolidating support from multiple parties following the fractured mandate in the recently concluded Assembly elections.TVK, which emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, had fallen short of the majority mark of 118 required to form the government independently.
However, with the support of Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), the party has successfully crossed the majority threshold.
The CPI, CPI(M) and VCK, which won 2 seats each, extended their support to TVK, taking the tally of the party to the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member assembly, along with the 5 seats from Congress.
The CPI (M), in an official letter, conveyed its support to TVK for the purpose of forming a government in the state, while CPI extended "conditional support" to the Vijay-led party in favour of "stable, secular and democratic governance for the people of Tamil Nadu."
The time shall now unveil what the tenure of Vijay as Chief Minister means for Tamil Nadu. (ANI)