Kerala - Kannur   

Nation strong enough to face challenges: Kodiyeri

Mark of respect: Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan taking the salute at the Independence Day parade on Police Parade Ground in Kannur on Wednesday.

KANNUR: Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrisnan has said that India as a sovereign nation has emerged as a power to face any challenges.

Delivering his address at the Independence Day function here on Wednesday, Mr. Balakrishnan said that the country attained success in various fields, including democracy building, since Independence. He exuded hope that India could confront the challenges with a sense of equanimity.

Observing that colonialism in new guises continued to pose threats to independent nations, the Minister said that India was strong enough to counter them. The country had to display its strength by solving the problems facing common people, he pointed out.

He called on the people to take firm stand against subversive, communal and casteist forces. Mr. Balakrishnan said that the 60th anniversary of Independence should be used as an occasion to commemorate freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives in the struggle against the British.

The Minister earlier examined the parade. As many as 42 platoons including those of the Kerala Armed Police, local police, National Cadet Corps, Scouts and Guides and the Junior Red Cross participated in the parade.

MLAs K. Sudhakaran and Ramachandran Kadannappally, Collector Ishita Roy and Superintendent of Police Mathew Polycarp were present.

Our Staff Reporter writes from Palakkad: Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac inaugurated the ‘Navabharath march’ organised by the Democratic

Youth Federation of India (DYFI) against ‘globalisation and communalism’ at Fort Maidan here on Wednesday.

The DYFI activists took out two marches — one from Victoria College and the other from Mercy College — to the venue at Fort Maidan.

The meeting was addressed by M. Chandran, V. Chenthamarakshan, K.K. Divakaran (MLAs); CPI(M) district committee secretary P. Unni; and DYFI district secretary Subash Chandra Bose, among others. DYFI district president K. Jayadevan presided.

In the morning, the Finance Minister inaugurated the Independence Day celebrations at Fort Maidan.

He took the salute at the parade of the Police, NCC, Excise Department and Scouts and Guide wings.

The Independence Day celebrations was attended by K.K. Divakaran, MLA; district panchayat president Subida Ishaq; municipal chairperson V. Devayani; District Collector K.S. Sreenivas, and District Police Superintendent Vijay Sakhare, among others.

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