Call to defeat communal forces

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, SEPT. 23. In a major show of unity by the ``secular'' front, the leaders of the ``secular'' Opposition including the AIADMK general secretary, Ms. Jayalalitha, and the TMC president, Mr. G.K. Moopanar, came together here on an ``anti-communal'' platform to celebrate the Periyar birth anniversary and launch their pre- electoral offensive against the ruling DMK-BJP combine.

Significantly, former Prime Minister, Mr. Deva Gowda, CPI(M) leader, Mr. Harkishen Singh Surjeet, CPI leader, Mr. A.B. Bardhan, and the Congress(I) general secretary, Mr. Gulam Nabi Azad, joined the Opposition-sponsored show presided over by Ms. Jayalalitha, to kick-start the campaign against the DMK Government in the State, ahead of the Assembly elections due next year.

Setting the tone for the attack on the DMK and spirited defence of the AIADMK's ``secular'' credentials, Mr. Bardhan said the secular parties did not require the sanction or permission of the DMK president, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, to invite Ms. Jayalalitha to preside over the ``Periyar Vizha.''

``In Tamil Nadu, we see the spectacle of the DMK, which claimed to have inherited some of the ideals of Periyar, carrying on its shoulders the communal BJP,'' he observed, calling upon all the secular forces to remain united even after elections. ``Elections will come and go. But we have to save the country from communalism and we should stand together always'', he exhorted.

Expressing the hope that the Periyar Vizha would be a turning point in the ``social life of Tamil Nadu,'' he said the disruptive and communal forces should be defeated. In an implicit defence of the AIADMK leadership facing a slew of corruption cases, he said, those pretending to be clean should not attempt at cleansing public life through a ``policy of witch-hunting and revenge.''

The AICC(I) general secretary, Mr. Gulam Nabi Azad, said it was a matter of ``great pride'' that only the AIADMK leader and the Congress(I) president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, had provided reservation for women in their parties, which was a cherished ideal of Periyar.

The RPI leader, Mr. Prakash Ambedkar, called upon the secular parties to fight the ``BJP's attempts to usher in a new Varnashrma system, by opening up the markets for the multinational companies.''

The Dalit Panthers of India leader, Mr. R. Thirumavalavan, said the leaders of the secular leaders should be wary of a ``conspiracy'' to break the anti-communal front. ``Our victory lies in thwarting the conspiracy,'' he said. Most of the leaders, who spoke at the meeting, including the INL leader, Mr.Abdul Latheef, Ambedkar Iyakkam president, Mr. Vai. Balasundaram, RJD State president, Mr. R. Jagaveerapandian, lashed out at Mr. Karunanidhi for questioning the credentials of Ms. Jayalalitha to preside over the Periyar vizha.

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