Time for joint fight against religious forces: Opposition

First among them, CPI state secretary R Mutharasan, in a veiled appeal to the political opposition to rally behind DMK working president MK Stalin against the communal BJP regime, said, “The ground should be created to fight fundamentalist forces. We have DMK working president MK Stalin.” 

Remarking that the government at the Centre was driven by ‘manu dharma ’, whereas Murasoli has been steadfast and never made compromises with manu dharma, Mutharasan, participating in the Murasoli platinum jubilee celebration, said the war (to defeat communal forces) has begun and Sangoli, apparently referring to MDMK party organ or rather its leader Vaiko who also took part in the meeting, has also come to issue a clarion call. 

Joining the issue with his CPI counterpart, CPI (M) state secretary G Ramakrishnan GR said the BJP regime was thrusting Hindutva, Hindi, NEET and GST on the country and hence democratic forces should unite to defeat communalism, fundamentalist and anti-democratic forces.

VCK President Thol Tirumavalavan described Stalin as Karunanidhi’s political heir and said the fundamentalist forces want to uproot Periyar movement. “Some people hope that AIADMK and DMK would be finished off. AIADMK might perish, but DMK would not,” Thiruma added. 

State congress president Su Thirunavukkarasar said that the Chief Minister’s legislature party meeting had only 109 MLAs. 

“The government does not have majority. The orders of the minority govt would be questioned in future. It will not stand legal scrutiny. If you (CM) are confident of having majority, move floor test and prove it in the House.”

Acknowledging the Opposition’s war cry, DMK working president MK Stalin said that autonomy of the state, its rights and social justice were being threatened. “The principle of a federal Centre and autonomous state has been threatened. Hence, we must unite. We might have differences, but we must set them aside and protect social justice,” Stalin told leaders on the dais at the platinum jubilee celebration of his party organ Murasoli.