The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Demonstrations planned against `communal politics'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 04, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Demonstrations planned against `communal politics'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, DEC. 3. The constituents of the Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) will stage demonstrations at all district headquarters on December 10 to protest against "attempts by the Bharatiya Janata Party and communal organisations such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad" to ``play communal politics" with the arrest of the Kanchi Sankaracharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, in the Sankararaman murder case and incite religious rivalries to disrupt unity among the people.

A resolution adopted at a DPA meeting here under the chairmanship of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president, M. Karunanidhi, also flayed the "vicious propaganda" linking the Centre and the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, with the arrest.

The meeting said the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leadership, which welcomed the Sethusamudram project in the beginning, now indirectly attempted to stall the implementation by instigating its activists to create problems at public hearings in the districts, particularly at a time when the Centre was taking great efforts to execute the scheme.

AIADMK stand flayed

Flaying the AIADMK leadership's stand and some Collectors' "support to it", another resolution thanked the DPA leaders who toured the coastal areas to mobilise fishermen's support for the project.

Though authorities of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) said orders had been issued for releasing Rs.1,222 crores to the State this year, the AIADMK Government accused it of not providing loans. Instead of blaming the NABARD, the Government should postpone collection of farmers' debt arrears by five years and release fresh loans for taking up cultivation this year.

The meeting demanded relief to farmers in flood-hit areas, besides ensuring uninterrupted supply of fertilizers and other farm inputs.

It demanded reinstatement of 10,000 road gang mazdoors and `Makkal Nala Paniyalargal'.

Claiming that only some of the rights and concessions enjoyed by government employees and teachers were restored and this exercise too was just an `eye wash', the meeting demanded 20 per cent bonus to employees of government undertakings.

Another resolution called for immediate measures in drought-affected districts, including Salem, Vellore, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri, to solve the drinking water crisis. The meeting demanded restoration of bus routes in rural areas and scaling down of college fees.

`Discrimination'

The meeting charged the Government and the police with discrimination in granting permission to parties for organising democratic protests.

The DMK leaders, K. Anbazhagan, Arcot N. Veerasamy and M.K. Stalin; the Congress leaders G.K.Vasan and S.R. Balasubramonian; the State secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), N.Varadarajan; the State secretary of the Communist Party of India, R. Nallakannu; the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam presidium chairman, L. Ganesan; the Pattali Makkal Katchi founder, S. Ramadoss; and the Indian Union Muslim League leader, Khader Moideen, participated.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu