“The DMK has denied proper recognition to the Left,” former Tamil Nadu CPI(M) state secretary K Balakrishnan accused on May 2. Balakrishnan added that the CPI(M) and the CPI had pressed for six seats each but were unable to come to an agreement with the DMK.
Both Left parties contested five seats each. “Despite the refusal, we joined the [DMK-led] Secular Progressive Alliance to prevent the BJP from gaining ground in Tamil Nadu.”
Congratulating the DMK for exit poll projections, he added, “But what kind of government the DMK is going to form this time remains a question.” Most exit polls say that DMK will win, likely with reduced margins.
The reason for such doubts, Balakrishnan alleged, was because of “great unrest among youth” due to DMK’s failure to ensure permanent employment opportunities. “They want a change. It is clear that they have developed political awareness … it is commendable.”
Criticising DMK ministers for acknowledging only developmental milestones, he added, “The workers are the foundational reason for such growth. What has the state government done for them?” He also highlighted the arrests of protesting workers, such as during the Samsung workers’ protest and the sanitation workers’ protest.
