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Maintain unity and integrity: Somnath

Kolkata: With the country facing the danger of being divided by the communal forces, organisations of workers and employees should work to maintain the unity and integrity of the country, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said here on Monday night.

“There is a danger to the country’s integrity from the communal forces. There can be no workers’ movement if the country falls into the trap of the divisive forces,” he said at the valedictory function of the Golden Jubilee of the Coordination Committee of Central Government Employees.

Mr. Chatterjee said that an idea was being floated in some quarters that political gain should be achieved through division. “An effort is being made to divide the workers on the basis of religion and caste ...how can the workers’ movement continue when we see workers of a certain group are getting importance,” the Speaker said, adding the workers’ organisations must help maintain the country’s unity and integrity if they were to take their movement forward.

Observing that “forces within the country and abroad” were trying to divide the country on the basis of religion, West Bengal Assembly Speaker Hasim Abdul Halim said the challenge before the Left forces had increased with the return of the BJP in Gujarat.

Referring to the recent violence here demanding deportation of Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, Mr. Halim said communal forces had used Nasreen as an excuse to foment trouble. Admitting that the Left was weak in Gujarat, he said, “It should be our responsibility to take the right kind of politics to the people there.”

Special attention should be given to the youth,he said. “We have to ask ourselves, are we taking the right politics to the youth? What are their aspirations? We have to make an effort in better addressing the youth.” — PTI

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Maintain unity and integrity: Somnath

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