Left to weigh options on alliance in TN
Madurai (PTI): As the DMK and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu wooing the Left to form an alliance for the next Lok Sabha elections, the CPI on Thursday said the political situation in the state was still fluid and the Left leadership will weigh the options before taking a decision.

CPI national secretary D Raja told reporters here that his party has taken due note of the statements by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M Karunanidhi and AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa, evincing interest in having an alliance with the Left parties.

"There are untested forces like the DMDK of (film actor) Vijayakanth. The party has taken note of the AIADMK leader's readiness for an alliance with the Left and the DMK leader's call that secular forces should come together is also in mind," he said.



 

While Jayalalithaa said on Wednesday that she was open to an alliance with the Left parties, Karunanidhi recently appealed to the Left to preserve their ties with them and Congress to strengthen the secular forces.

Raja said that though a third alternative was emerging at the national level, he was not sure about the same in Tamil Nadu, but was confident that CPI and CPM would jointly take the same stand with regard to any alliance in Tamil Nadu.

"We are observing Tamil Nadu politics closely. We have to study and analyse before making a decision about an alliance in the state," he said.

A resolution at the CPI(M) state conference at Tirunelveli on August 8 said the party's stand will be decided by the Central Committee and it will work for a non-Congress and non-BJP front.

The CPI, for its part, will hold its state conference at Hosur from Aug 22, where it will deliberate on the situation in the state.