Tamil Nadu Pointers

The results of the Tamil Nadu elections have been welcomed by progressive opinion in the country, not really for the return to power of the DMK that has ensued, but for its counterpart in the form of the ignominious debacle suffered by the Rajiv Gandhi coterie and its possible impact on the Congress(I)'s fortunes in the Lok Sabha elections now looming ahead. That the second had to be secured at the price of the first as a characteristic compulsion is undeniable and therefore there may be a case for the CPl(M)'s tie-up with the less than reputable DMK being accepted on larger considerations. The CPI(M) itself should, however, be self-conscious about its own sacrifice