The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Call to fight forces of communalism

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 25, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Call to fight forces of communalism

Special Correspondent

RSS trying to influence body politic, says Arjun Singh

JOVIAL CHAT: The Union Minister for Human Resources Development, Arjun Singh, with the Finance Minister, K. Rosaiah, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Sitaram Yechury, and the SVK Managing Trustee, Koratala Satyanarayana, in Hyderabad on Sunday. Photo : Mohd. Yousuf

HYDERABAD: The Union Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh, and the CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Sitaram Yechury, on Sunday called upon people to fight communal forces, saying they posed a threat to the nation's integrity.

Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of Sundarayya Vignana Kendram's new complex at Gachibowli, Mr. Singh said anybody who thought that the "ghosts of communalism" were laid to rest was sadly mistaken. He said "every waking hour" these reactionary forces which were with the RSS were trying to influence the body politic.

He said people had seen through the mischief of those forces and as a result the UPA Government was leading the country. It was also not a chance or coincidence that the Left was supporting it.

`Communist Gandhi'

Every effort should be made to ensure that the struggles and sacrifices made by leaders like Sundarayya for gaining the country's freedom were not weakened. Sundarayya was a great freedom fighter and became a legend in his own lifetime. He was deeply influenced by Gandhiji and was referred to as "Communist Gandhi."

Mr. Yechury stressed the need to fight communal forces on both the ideological and political planes. He recalled how the BJP-led NDA Government during its six-year rule tried to rewrite history in a bid to show that nobody else had lived here before the Hindus. It wanted to show that Indus Valley and Aryan civilisations were the same.

Echoing the sentiments of Mr. Singh on the need to fight communal forces, he said that through scientific studies the attempts to distort history could be countered and the research centres such as the Sundarayya Vignana Kendram could play a useful role in this regard. He paid glowing tributes to Sundarayya and recalled his association with him.

Help to new complex

The Finance Minister, K. Rosaiah, said the State Government would extend all help to the Kendram.

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