During the legislative assembly session, the Chief Minister’s fiery speech during the police department grant demands has sparked intense controversy and criticism in political circles. In this situation, the Communist parties that have been supporting the T.V.K. government have also boycotted the T.V.K. alliance meeting. Moreover, Marxist Party state secretary P. Shanmugam has advised the ruling party members to “read history.”
In this tense atmosphere, we put our questions to Balabharathi, a Central Committee member of the Marxist Party and former MLA...
"How do you view the T.V.K. government’s administration?"
During the previous DMK regime, TVK members mostly raised questions about “law and order issues” such as drug culture and the rape of minor girls. But today, under the same TVK’s 100-day rule, apart from forming a “Lioness Brigade,” law and order remains in a very bad state, with the sexual assault and murder of minor girls and the spread of narcotics.
In Srivaikuntam, a woman belonging to the TVK is gang-raped. In this matter, a TVK MLA was also complicit in protecting the perpetrators. But now, they have even made the victim withdraw the complaint. Not only that, atrocities such as custodial deaths, restrictions on protests, and suppressing student protests are all being carried out during this 100-day rule. We closely monitor what stance the TVK government takes on these issues, and if the government's action is right, we welcome it; if the plans are not right, we voice our criticism and also fight against them."
"In Tamil Nadu, are you saying this has disappointed the Communist parties that supported the TVK government because they did not want a BJP-backed party to come to power?"
"When it comes to economic policy, the central BJP government has been fully implementing corporate interests and privatization. Even the previous DMK government brought the Salem and Coimbatore drinking water supply under a private company called Suez. Recently, in the TVK government's budget too, there has been a lot of talk about the role of private companies in matters such as power generation, distribution, and management.
So the T.V.K. government is trying to bring in even more private players along the same path that previous governments took. All of this goes against leftist policies that emphasize economic equality. Rather than whether this is disappointing to the Communists or not, what matters here is that the T.V.K. government should not encourage privatization in welfare schemes for the people.
That is why we continue to closely monitor the actions of the Tamil Nadu government, praise the good schemes, and stage protests condemning anti-people measures to register our opposition."
"Are the schemes announced by the T.V.K. government in its first 100 days of rule welcome?"
"They are simply cutting and pasting the names of schemes that were already introduced during the DMK regime, making a few changes, and continuing the same schemes as they are. In addition, they have announced one or two welfare schemes. But so far, this government has not given any clear explanation of what it plans to do about the funding sources for them.
Because, during the past five years of DMK rule, the central BJP government acted against the spirit of federalism by not providing the financial allocations Tamil Nadu needed. In all financial matters involving the central government—natural disasters, education schemes, and GST dues—Tamil Nadu was denied its due."
"But aren’t the TVK rulers saying they will work in harmony with the central BJP government and implement projects?"
"It was precisely because Tamil Nadu was continuously denied its due in the matter of fiscal devolution that we campaigned in the last Assembly election against the BJP-led Union government with the slogan that state rights must be restored.
But in the T.V.K. government, neither the state budget nor the debate in the recently concluded Assembly session explained issues such as restoring state rights or where the financial crisis for the state is arising from.
The Assembly itself has ended up functioning merely as a clash and quarrel among political parties like the D.M.K., T.V.K., and A.I.A.D.M.K. In the Assembly, Speaker announced, “That word is being removed from the records of the House,” merely because Social Welfare Minister Vanniarasu uttered the name “Amit Shah.”
Not only that... whenever anyone speaks about the BJP-led Union government, it is removed from the House records. So what does this mean... is this what it means to be in harmony with the Union government?"
"Opposition parties have been continuously criticizing TVK for being afraid to politically oppose the BJP, haven’t they?"
"Forget opposing the BJP-led Union government... at least say something in praise! But if you keep saying nothing at all and keep diverting all issues against state political parties, how is that to be understood?"
"So, are you saying that this 100-day rule of the TVK government still has not given you confidence?"
"When it comes to a government for the people, a party must openly state its policies and position.
If you truly are not afraid of anyone, you should have allowed debates in the Legislative Assembly on the Union government's fund allocation. Instead, if you say you will not criticize the Union government or debate it, where can you get the funds to implement schemes for the people?"
"During the previous DMK regime, the law and order situation was criticized, and now under the TVK government, which came to power on that basis, criticisms have arisen that law and order has become even worse than before?"
"There is no need to compare by saying that such things happened in that government and such things are happening in this government. However, during the previous DMK and AIADMK regimes, at the time of the police department’s demand for grants, they would present statistics on 'how many crimes have occurred, and what actions have been taken.'
However, now that 100 days have passed since taking office, the controversy is that the Chief Minister, who holds the police portfolio, has not answered any department-related questions. Even a TVK MLA complains that “police officers themselves approach issues with caste bias.” Law and order is supposed to prevent or reduce crimes. But the criticism is that “in these 100 days of governance, the TVK government has not done that.”
“How do you view the Chief Minister’s speech in the Assembly about the MISA atrocities law?”
"MISA was a brutal repressive law enforced across the country to strip away freedom of speech and expression. But in the recently concluded legislative assembly session, the ruling party members created the impression as if the MISA law had been brought in solely to punish the injustices of the DMK. This is indeed condemnable. That is why the Marxist Party’s state secretary P. Shanmugam has advised the rulers, 'Read history and understand it before speaking.'"
"During the police department grant demands, why didn’t Chief Minister Vijay answer any of the questions raised by the opposition parties?"
"The controversy today is that the Chief Minister has turned the questions raised by the opposition parties in the Legislative Assembly into a political diversion. By unnecessarily bringing up matters that had long since been settled, it is the Assembly’s time that has been wasted. The Chief Minister should be an example to all MLAs. But for him himself to speak with such anger, raising his hands and gesturing like that... no Chief Minister has done this before. The dignity and conduct expected of a Chief Minister should be at a higher level.
As Comrade P. Shanmugam said, the TVK members should learn not only from the Ismail report... but from everything in politics."
"'The Communists will support the TVK government for the full five years,' Minister Nirmal Kumar has expressed confidence...?"
"Months and years are not the issue here. The important question is how much of a solution you are going to bring to the people’s problems with this support.
In the capital, what law have you brought in to raise the minimum wage being paid in large multinational companies? Why should a law not be implemented to enforce reservation in private companies as well? There are so many constructive measures, such as subsidies for farmers to purchase fertilizers and pesticides, and higher procurement prices for milk producers.
You came to power saying, 'We will bring change'; in reality, you should be bringing that change, shouldn't you? Instead, if you centralize electoral power and run the legislature, how is that a change?"
"There have been criticisms that the Communists have been continuously putting pressure under the name of supporting the ruling party..?"
"We are closely monitoring the government's actions, and we have also formed a 'Coordination Committee for the Left' to respond immediately with statements and protests. We are also speaking directly to the government about our demands. In the sense that we are supporting the government, we have not stayed away from any issue; nor have we put pressure!"