By IANS,
Chennai : In the numbers game sparked by the Left’s withdrawal of support, Congress allies in Tamil Nadu are promising to save the government — almost everyone that is.
All 39 members from Tamil Nadu in the Lok Sabha helped to prop up the Manmohan Singh government after the 2004 parliamentary election. And these 39 MPs are as important as the 39 of the Samajwadi Party.
Four of the Tamil Nadu MPs are from the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), and they will not support the government.
The PMK, with six MPs, has declared its support to the government. And the ruling DMK, with 16 MPs, is also with the government despite its long-standing alliance with the Left in the state.
But MDMK leader Vaiko, who commands four MPs, sprang a surprise by coming out against the nuclear deal. But two of his MPs have made it clear that they will not sail with him.
“Two out of the four MDMK MPs will vote for the government whenever the votes are to be cast,” a DMK MP told IANS.
Though former central minister Dayanidhi Maran and estranged grandnephew of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has enough grouses against the latter, it is unlikely the tech-savvy media mogul will go against the UPA.