Apr 04, 2014
Speaking at a rally held at Pattukottai in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu CPI(M) Secretary G. Ramakrishnan observed that “We have not seen such enthusiasm among Left cadres, volunteers and sympathisers in the past fifty years. The support for the Left candidates is growing day by day and it holds great prospects for the future of the Left in Tamil Nadu.” G. Ramakrishnan was campaigning for the CPI(M) candidate from Thanjavur, Tamil Selvi. The CPI(M) and the CPI are contesting nine seats each in the state.
Forty two year old Tamil Selvi is the District Secretary of the All India Democratic Women’s Association and has been associated with the Party for the past twenty years. She has participated and led many struggles in the district. She is the daughter-in-law of Thyagi N.Venktachalam, one of the leaders of CPI(M) in the district, who was murdered by landlords. Venkatachalam was killed in 1977, when he returned to his village Rayamundanpatti, by his own upper caste brethren who were incensed at his taking up cudgels on behalf of the dalits, in their fight against caste oppression and discrimination.
While coming down heavily on both the Congress and the BJP, Ramakrishnan also questioned the reliability of regional parties like the DMK and the AIADMK. He said that while the DMK has openly announced that it would support the Congress in the post-poll scenario, AIADMK leader, Jayalalithaa, has till now not criticised either the BJP or its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, in her election campaign.
The CPI(M) and the Left parties, Ramakrishnan said, have been constantly fighting for the rights of the people of Tamil Nadu on many issues including the Cauvery water dispute. It is only now that the DMK and AIADMK are opposing the proposed methane extraction project in the Cauvery delta districts. He reminded the people that in fact it was M.K.Stalin, the then Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, who entered into an agreement with the Great Eastern Energy Corporation for extracting Methane in Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts during the previous DMK regime, and that the present AIADMK government was also forced to stay the project after agitations led by the Left and other parties.
April 4, 2014
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