Farmers Movement Archive

Must defeat BJP, prove this is land of Periyar, says Stalin

Madurai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was holding the hands of corruption when he held the hands of chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam in Chennai, opposition leader and DMK president M K Stalin said on Thursday. Speaking at the political uprising conference organized by the CPI in Madurai, Stalin said the BJP was using the AIADMK to enter the state and fulfil its agenda. Campaigning at Uthamapalayam in Trichy earlier in the day, Stalin announced that the DMK will hold its 11th state-level conference in Trichy on March 14. Thursday’s conference, touted to be first of its kind in the state, saw participation from all members of the DMK-led alliance. Stalin said the communist parties and the DMK were not just political allies but were united in their philosophy of socialism. Attacking the Centre, Stalin said, “Modi, who quoted Avaiyar and Bharathiar, is not listening to the voices of farmers protesting against the farm laws and the fishermen suffering at the hands of the forces of another nation. Instead, his government has launched an attack on its own people with soaring fuel and LPG prices.” “We have to prove that this is the land of Thanthai Periyar, Kalaignar, Anna and Tholar Jeeva and defeat the AIADMK and the BJP,” he said. CPI general secretary D Raja said Tamil Nadu’s election results should signal the downfall of the fascist BJP government at the Centre as should the elections in Kerala, West Bengal and Assam. “Modi refers to us as ‘andolan jeevi’ (someone who thrives on protests), and we are that because the working class is suffering due to privatisation of the public sector,” he said. While the BJP government was trying to destroy democracy, the AIADMK government was trying to help it, he said. CPI state secretary R Mutharasan, Kongu Nadu Makkal Desiya Katchi general secretary E R Easwaran, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi leader M H Jawahirullah, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan, MDMK’s Vaiko, TNCC president K S Alagiri, CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan among others spoke. Veteran CPI leaders R Nallakannu and Tha Pandian were also present.

The Times of India

2021-02-19

Madurai