Communist Party of India (Marxist) Tamil Nadu State Secretary P. Shanmugam on Saturday, 16 May clarified that the decision by the CPI(M), the Communist Party of India (CPI), and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) to extend support to the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government was a deliberate political move to prevent the imposition of President's Rule in Tamil Nadu and block what the party described as indirect Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) influence in the state.

Why the Three Parties Backed TVK

Shanmugam, speaking to reporters after a protest against the recent fuel price hike in Chennai, was unambiguous: the support was not a collective resolution of the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), but an independent political step taken by the three left and Dalit parties. He said the assembly election had delivered a fractured verdict in which no major formation — including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) — secured the numbers needed to independently form a government.

According to Shanmugam, TVK emerged as the single largest party and therefore held the first legitimate claim to form the government. 'If TVK had failed to form the government, the possibility of President's Rule in Tamil Nadu could not have been ruled out,' he said.

The BJP Angle

Shanmugam alleged that a governance vacuum would have handed the BJP an opening to exercise influence in the state through indirect means — a scenario the left parties were determined to foreclose. 'We wanted to prevent that possibility. Our support was intended to avoid a situation that goes against the verdict delivered by the people,' he said.

This framing positions the CPI(M)-CPI-VCK support less as ideological alignment with Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and more as a defensive democratic intervention — a distinction Shanmugam was careful to draw publicly.

Conditional Support: Performance Will Decide

The CPM leader made clear that the backing is not unconditional. He said Chief Minister Vijay had assured the public of good governance, and that future support from the three parties would hinge on how well the government delivers on its election promises. 'The government must now fulfil the commitments made to the public. Future support will depend on performance,' Shanmugam said.

This conditionality introduces a degree of political accountability into what is already a fragile coalition arrangement, and signals that the left parties intend to retain their independent identity rather than merge into a governing bloc.

Fuel Price Protest and Demands

Shanmugam's clarification came on the sidelines of a protest meeting against the recent hike in petrol, diesel, and cooking gas prices. He argued that the rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices had severely impacted the hotel industry, leading to financial losses, job cuts, and the closure of establishments. He urged the Centre to immediately roll back the fuel price increases, framing it as a matter of economic relief for ordinary citizens and small businesses.

What This Means for Tamil Nadu Politics

The clarification underscores the fragility of the current political arrangement in Tamil Nadu. With no party commanding a clear majority, the TVK government's survival depends on continued external support — making Shanmugam's performance-linked caveat a significant political signal. This is the first time the CPI(M) has publicly articulated the rationale behind its support in such explicit terms, adding a new layer of transparency — and pressure — to the state's post-election political landscape. How the Vijay government responds to these expectations will likely shape alliance dynamics in the months ahead.