M Karunanidhi birthday fete turns out to be BJP slammer
Lashing out at the BJP, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi asserted that the secular parties would not allow PM and RSS to impose one culture.
Chennai: The gathering of top leaders of Congress, Left and regional parties to celebrate the 94th birthday of DMK president M. Karunanidhi came out with the strong message on the formation of an anti-BJP front at the national level with every speaker including DMK working president M.K. Stalin hitting out at the saffron party and seeking unity of 'secular democratic forces'
Lashing out at the BJP, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi asserted that the secular parties would not allow Prime Minister and RSS to impose one culture.
“They believe India has one idea and one culture, but we completely disagree with them. We will never allow silencing of more than a billion voices. We are not going to stand and watch. They believe they need not speak or listen to anyone. They do not believe in discussion, but only in crushing the opposition,” Rahul said.
He also said Karunanidhi had formed national alliances to help leaders like Indira Gandhi, V.P. Singh, Deve Gowda, I.K. Gujral, Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh to become Prime Ministers.
CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said there is a government at the Centre which decided what people should eat and dress and alleged that they are targeting Muslims and Dalits. He appealed to the parties on stage to unitedly come together to change the discourse of the country.
Pointing out Karunanidhi had named his son as Stalin, the Communist leader said, “The name Stalin has a lot of responsibility sir,” recalling that Joseph Stalin’s Soviet forces crushed Adolf Hitler in the second world war.
CPI state secretary Sudhakar Reddy said, “A section controlling the government is trying to create chaos. They are attacking Dalits and encouraging intolerance. They are deciding what the people should speak, write and eat.”
Describing the meeting as a ‘political summit’ at the national level, he appealed to the DMK to take up the historic role of bringing secular unity and carry forward the struggle. CPI national secretary D. Raja called for a fight to save federalism and said Periyarists and Marxists must join together against fascism.