TMC too offers support to Congress

CHENNAI, July 3: The Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) today offered conditional support to the Congress, if it came forward to form an alternative Government at the Centre in place of the Vajpayee Government.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the party’s Political Affairs Committee, party chief G K Moopanar and parliamentary party leader P Chidambaram said the party would extend support to the Congress if it formed a Government without the help of “undesirable elements from Tamil Nadu”, in an apparent reference to the AIADMK. However, Moopanar hastened to add that his party would not do anything, which might destabilise the BJP-led coalition Ministry. “But if it falls under its own weight, secular parties like ours should not be blamed,” he said.

Asked whether the TMC would bail out the Vajpayee Ministry, if it was reduced to minority in the event of the AIADMK withdrawing support to it, Chidambaram said it would depend on the “approach of the minority Government”. Any support to the BJPGovernment would be on specific issues, he said adding the BJP should approach the “secular” parties, setting aside its “sectarian outlook”.

Moopanar said his party did not want to impose another election on the people at present and hence would make attempts to prevent it. “The people of the country and political parties do not want elections now,” he said, adding if the elections became “inevitable”, his party would face it.