The Communist Party of India (Marxist), which has won 10 of the 12 seats it contested in the just concluded elections to the Tamil Nadu Assembly, will work as a constructive Opposition, its State secretary G. Ramakrishnan said.
As the people had very high expectations from the new government, the party would extend support to all government initiatives, he told a press conference in Chennai. He was briefing media persons on the decisions of the State Secretariat of the party that met in the morning and the newly elected MLAs who met in the afternoon. A. Soundararajan was elected the leader of the CPI-M legislature party. K. Balabharathi will be the deputy leader and K. Balakrishnan was chosen as the party's whip.
The Communist Party of India (CPI), which won nine out of the 10 seats it contested, elected M. Arumugam as the leader of its legislature party. S. Gunasekaran will be the deputy leader. K. Ulaganathan will be the party whip.
Mr. Ramakrishnan observed that the failure of the ruling party in Tamil Nadu to understand day-to-day problems faced by the common man such as price rise, power cut and law and order and its attempt to buy votes had led to a drubbing for the DMK-led alliance. Besides, the issues of corruption and nepotism had a very big impact, he said. He said the party would give immediate priority to attract the government's attention to the need to address the power and law and order situation, as well as the closure of dyeing units that led to the livelihood of a number of people in the western region being crippled.
To a question, Mr. Ramakrishnan said a number of industries near Chennai, especially on the Sriperumbudur road, did not permit the setting up of unions. Even if unions were formed, it led to victimisation, he alleged. Mr. Soundararajan said the party would see to it that the basic rights of the workmen were ensured.
