Another controversy over political parties in Tamil Nadu has drawn the attention of Tamil Nadu when the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) regime under the actor-turned-politician Vijay apparently received advice of political activist-cum-partisans, or the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM, to "reconsider" its support through accommodation of the AIADMK rebels in the state Cabinet.
The warning comes as speculation continues that some dissident leaders from All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) may even be given ministerial posts or receive prominent roles in the Vijay government. Politicians from the CPM have said that hiring leaders who share opponents’ ideas will jeopardise the alliance’s credibility and throw supporters who supported TVK’s pledge of political change off-kilter.
Later, CPM functionaries reportedly repeated that their support was to support secular and welfare values and that they had shared ground. Party leaders argued that bringing the rebels of the AIADMK into the Cabinet would send a negative political message, further tarnishing the ideological underpinnings upon which the alliance was founded.
The action has set off sharp political arguments across Tamil Nadu, not least over a fledgling government such as Vijay’s TVK, whose supporters and coalition associates insist that the state provide them with so much. Political observers believe the issue might test Vijay’s balancing act between governance, expansion and alliances, as well as the expansion and alliance management.
Official figures in the political world are concerned that some rebels from AIADMK have already contacted TVK leadership because of infighting among the opposition camp insiders early on, but this has not yet been given official status. Official confirmation regarding cabinet berths has not yet been given, but a discussion on potential defections and political realignments has circulated in the past weeks.
CPM leaders also warned that if the new TVK government were to try to take such appointments and try to do so without any discussion with alliance partners, the Left could end up having to reconsider the political commitment it plans to make. But senior members of the CPM also emphasised that no official decision had been made so far, and talks in the alliance framework could still take place.
The opposition parties, meanwhile, claim the ruling dispensation is seeking to manufacture defections disguised as political convenience. Critics said such moves would contradict the brand of the anticorruption and reform-oriented TVK that it has built in its campaign this election.
The controversial issue is causing great debate among political commentators who see it as something of Tamil Nadu’s first obstacle to Vijay, from movie hero to full-time political leader. The new government will necessarily have to tread carefully between the coalition expectations and sticking together in a coherent coalition.
The TVK leadership never directly took up the CPM's warning and has not put out any actual statement until now. But insiders have said they’re debating governance and political coordination amid a cautious decision-making that has strained the alliance. And now there is speculation about the extent to which a Vijay-led government is looking to add to its Cabinet with AIADMK rebels or to reassure not only alliance partners, but also what the existing political balance is going to look like?
