People's Democracy

MASSIVE PUBLIC MEETING IN COIMBATORE

'Punish DMK-Congress

for Corruption and Misrule'

N S Arjun

TOP leaders of the AIADMK alliance have called on the people of Tamilnadu to throw out the DMK-Congress alliance in the April 13 elections to the state assembly as a punishment to its gross corruption and misrule in the state and at the centre. They underlined that such punishment would mark the beginning of the struggle to end the unprecedented corruption plaguing the country.

AIADMK president J Jayalalithaa, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, CPI general secretary A B Bardhan, TDP president Chandrababu Naidu, CPI secretary D Raja, leaders of other alliance parties addressed a massive public meeting in Coimbatore on April 6. Frenzied crowds cheered every attack on the DMK and Congress made by the leaders. Chandrababu Naidu and Prakash Karat made their initial remarks in Tamil amidst cheers from the crowds. Jayalalithaa's passionate and dramatic speech drew the loudest cheers.

Prakash Karat launched a scathing attack on the DMK and Congress on the issue of corruption. He said the DMK has brought shame to Tamilnadu by its main role in the 2G spectrum scandal. The people of the state would definitely deliver their punishment to the DMK alliance on April 13 and wipe out that stain, he said. Both the DMK and Congress were “brothers in corruption”. He was confident that the people would not wait for the CBI inquiry to be completed or any other inquiry but would instead deliver their verdict in this massive corruption case on April 13. The DMK has turned itself into a family enterprise that has a stranglehold on every aspect of life in Tamilnadu. He asserted that all the parties in the AIADMK led alliance are determined to see the end of the dark rule of DMK and liberate the people of the state.

A B Bardhan expressed concern that the DMK and Congress were attacking democracy by throwing into the elections their ill gotten money. The 27 crore rupees seized by the Election Commission in the state in the last few days is a testimony to this, as much of it could be traced to the DMK leaders. The entire country is concerned about the unprecedented corruption under the UPA-II and Anna Hazare's indefinite fast is a reflection of this. He attacked the Congress for not bringing a Lok Pal bill during the last 60 years. He demanded repatriation of the lakhs of crores of black money stashed away in foreign banks. He also expressed confidence that the people of Tamilnadu will throw out the DMK alliance.

AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa asked the people of Tamilnadu to rid the state of the “family-dominated fascist regime” in the coming polls. She castigated the DMK government for its failures on all fronts, particularly law and order and electricity. Using strong language, she said these polls would see termination of the rule of the dacoits. She said while Karunanidhi's family benefited mainly from the 2G spectrum scam, it was dalit Raja who was made a scapegoat. She felt that Karunanidhi's family is qualified to enter the Guinness Book for corruption.

Chandrababu Naidu said the Tamilnadu polls outcome will impact the nation's politics by showing that this massive corruption of DMK-Congress will not go unpunished. He said corruption is the biggest issue facing the nation. He charged that leaders of Congress are involved in the Hasan Ali black money because a simple punter could not have earned Rs 50,000 crore. He attacked the DMK for not raising its voice as the UPA-II government increased petro prices indiscriminately. The DMK has turned into one family business enterprise, he said. He called on the people to deliver a crushing defeat to the DMK-Congress.

CONSULT ALL

ON LOK PAL BILL

Earlier, at a press conference in the Coimbatore DC office of the Party, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat demanded that the UPA-II government must consult all political parties, organisations and prominent personalities on the issue of making the draft Lok Pal Bill much more effective. Unless this is done, the people of the country will not have confidence about the government's intention to combat the growing corruption in the country, he said.

Karat referred to the indefinite hunger strike launched by social activist Anna Hazare in Delhi and said that the CPI(M) feels that the present draft prepared by the central government for the Lok Pal Bill is inadequate and it requires strengthening by providing for strong measures against corruption. He criticised the chargesheet filed by the CBI into 2G spectrum scam terming it as incomplete since it did not have details about where the money has gone. He also wanted other corporate personalities involved in the scam to be proceeded against.

In light of what happened at Japan's Fukushima nuclear facility following the earthquake and tsunami, Karat demanded that the central government not to proceed with the import of nuclear reactors as they would endanger the lives of our people. He also demanded stoppage of all new projects, including the Jaitapur Nuclear Power project where totally untested reactors are being imported. There must be an independent review – not by Department of Atomic Energy or Atomic Energy Regulatory Board – of all the existing nuclear reactors, he demanded. The CPI(M) leader also wanted the government to ensure that the civil liability for nuclear accidents would also be on the suppliers.

Prakash Karat expressed confidence that the people of Tamilnadu will give a mandate for the AIADMK-led alliance of which CPI(M) is a part. He said that he could sense a strong current for a change in the state during the last two days of his electoral campaign in the state.

Expressing appreciation at the Election Commission's measures to curb money power in Tamilnadu, Karat referred to the seizing of Rs 5 crore cash in Trichy a day before and said this showed the kind of monies being spent in these elections. He wanted the EC to take more stricter measures in this regard. He criticised chief minister Karunanidhi for comparing the EC measures to the Emergency period situation.

Karat said that in Kerala the Party's campaign is centred around how price rise and massive corruption are linked to central government's policies. The efforts of the LDF government to provide relief to the people and its exemplary record of fighting against corruption form an integral part of the campaign, he said.

In Bengal, as per reports reaching the Party, the Left Front has gained ground and its campaign is receiving good response from the people. With the weaknesses in political, organisational and government functioning identified and corrective measures taken, the Left Front could win back those sections of people  that were alienated, said Karat. He expressed confidence that the Left Front would win for the eighth consecutive time.