By IANS,
Kolkata/New Delhi: Chairman of West Bengal’s ruling Left Front Biman Bose Saturday termed the DMK’s decision to end its seven-year alliance with the Congress as a “political pressure tactic”. The Communist Party of India (CPI), meanwhile, reserved comment saying it was monitoring the situation “closely”.
West Bengal secretary of Left Front major Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Bose said in Kolkata that it seemed likely that the two parties would come to an understanding on seat adjustment for the Tamil Nadu assembly polls.
“I think, finally they will come to an understanding. The DMK has only said their ministers in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government will resign. Till now, I have not got any information that they have put in their papers,” he said.
“I think it is DMK’s political pressure tactic,” said Bose.
With only a month to go for the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, the DMK Saturday said it was snapping its alliance with the Congress and asked its ministers to quit the 21-month-old UPA government.
The party announced it would henceforth provide only “issue-based support” to the Congress-led government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The stated reason for the split followed the Congress’ insistence on contesting from 63 of the 234 Tamil Nadu seats – a demand the DMK publicly described as “unjustified”.
In New Delhi, CPI national secretary D. Raja said that they “were monitoring the situation closely”.
Raja, on a pre-election tour to Puducherry, told IANS over phone: “Let us wait for the developments. Let us see where things will reach.”