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DPA committed to secularism, says Karunanidhi

By Our Staff Reporter

PONDICHERRY, APRIL 20. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president, M. Karunanidhi, has said the Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) was committed to promoting secularism and communal unity among people.

Addressing a meeting at Tirubuvanai near here on Monday night, Mr. Karunanidhi said the question before the people now was whether the country should have a government that nurtured secularism or the one that whipped up communal sentiments. The question as to who should be the Prime Minister was not so important an issue for the electorate.

He appealed to the people to exercise caution and not to fall prey to religious sentiments.

He said it was indeed mind boggling that the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, and the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, were promising construction of temple at Ayodhya. Normally promises to construct temples would find a place in the poll propaganda during panchayat elections and not during the Parliamentary poll.

He criticised the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, for making comments against the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and leaders of the DPA.

The Pondicherry Chief Minister, N. Rangasamy, said although the Administration had made repeated representations to the Central Government for assistance to tackle drought situation in the Union Territory, nothing was available.

Mr. Rangasamy said Pondicherry had seen higher scale of development whenever Congress was in power at the Centre.

It was the duty of the DPA constituents to ensure the victory of the PMK candidate, M. Ramadoss. The founder of the PMK, S. Ramadoss, was also present.

The DMK convener and opposition leader in the Pondicherry Assembly, R.V. Janakiraman, the leaders of the CPI, the CPI (Marxist) and the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam,were among those who spoke.

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