Third Front all set to Sweep Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu the Third front led by Jayalalitha's AIDMK is giving a tough fight to the ruling DMK-Congress alliance. DMK is the only ally other than Muslim League that is left in the UPA allaince. The anti-incumbency factor against the DMK is high and the people are really looking out for a better alliance. Last time DMK led front swept the polls with AIDMK having not a single MP from the state. This time the Sun is going to set and the Leaf is going to blossom. AIDMK front consists of PMK, MDMK, CPIM and CPI. Family fued in the Karunanidhi family, Performance of UPA Goverment and the state government are all going to face the litmus test there. The caste equations all play a major role in the state. CPIM which was in the forefront to fight against the Dalit oppressions in the state and is going to get a good backing from that section of the people.The battle led by CPIM in Uthapuram against the Aparthied Wall is a good example of such struggles. The Third front campaing kicked off with a mass rally in Chennai on 16th April attended by about five lakhs people . AIADMK general secretary Jayalalitha, CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan, PMK leader S. Ramadoss, MDMK general secretary Vaiko and the State leaders of the Left parties addressed the meeting.

All the 39 candidates contesting on behalf of this alternative in the state of Tamilnadu and one candidate from Pudhucherry Union Territory were introduced in the rally. Leaders speaking at the rally expressed their confidence that the AIADMK-CPI(M)-CPI-PMK-MDMK-MMK combine will sweep the elections. They asssured that after the polls, a non Congress, non BJP alternative government will be formed at the centre.

CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat said that the front will wipe out the DMK-Congress combine and their money power with the power of the people. Karat said that Tamil Nadu, which would go to polls in the last phase of the elections, would seal the fate of the election verdict. “We saw the rule of UPA government led by Congress Party for the past 5 years and prior to that 6 years of NDA rule. After 11 years, the country is prepared for a change and a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative government will be put in place at the Centre” Karat said.

He said that the Congress and the BJP are attacking the formation of the third front by calling it an illusion. But parties, which belonged to the Congress and the BJP led coalitions from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa have now rallied with the third alternative. The people of India now have a clear choice for an alternative, Prakash Karat asserted. He also said there was a deliberate attempt by the Congress and the BJP to sideline regional parties, but now they were standing alone with all their allies deserting them. There is only one party in the country that has stayed on with the sinking ship of the Congress party and that is the DMK.

Criticizing the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his remarks against the regional parties, Prakash Karat said that it was very strange on the part of Manmohan Singh, whose government survived on the support of a dozen regional parties for five years, to have made these remarks. Karat said that the regional parties have a better understanding of the problems faced by the people of different states and have vast experience in leading Governments. The CPI (M) has been working with the regional parties since 1967 when it joined hands with Annadurai led DMK in Tamil Nadu, he said. He added that the Left parties, along with the regional parties like the AIADMK, were committed to providing a stable government at the Centre.

Prakash Karat said that the Congress and the DMK had a division of labour at the Centre. While the DMK was responsible for all the scams in the telecom sector, the Congress did well to take charge of scams in the defence sector. Karat also accused the UPA government of dereliction of duty with respect to protection of Sri Lankan Tamils. “Tamils are facing a life and death situation in Sri Lanka. If the UPA had spent at least one-tenth of the time they had spent on the nuclear deal, the problem could have been solved”, he said.

Coimbatore

With a special address from Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder-leader S. Ramadoss, the front led by the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) launched its campaign for the Coimbatore Lok Sabha Constituency candidate P.R. Natarajan, the district secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

At the public meeting organised by the CPI (M) to introduce the candidate to the voters, Dr. Ramadoss urged voters to look for three vital factors: good alliance, good party and good candidate.

The CPI (M) and Communist Party of India (CPI) could never be found to be inadequate on good ideology and policies for the welfare of the people.

Besides, the AIADMK had begun an elaborate ground work for the elections six months ago. “So, I hope that Mr. Natarjan will win with a huge margin,” the PMK leader said. Touching upon some local issues and on agriculture, he said the PMK opposed the concept of Special Economic Zone.

“We are against snatching away the lands of the poor. Special Economic Zone programme is actually a real estate business brokered by the Government,” he alleged.

Vowing to work for the victory of Mr. Natarjan, sitting MP from Coimbatore K. Subbarayan (CPI) said globalisation had hit the industries in Coimbatore hard, especially the small and micro units.

Coimbatore district secretary of the AIADMK and former Minister S.M. Velusamy said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Government in the State and the Congress-led Government at the Centre had left the people of Coimbatore, especially industries, in the lurch.

Mr. Velusamy, a legislator from the Palladam Assembly Constituency, said that the Coimbatore Corporation, headed by a Congress Mayor, had done nothing to improve infrastructure in the city. Instead, it had imposed huge taxes on the people.

The Pilloor Phase II scheme was not progressing at the desired pace when the city was in dire need of more drinking water.(source : The Hindu)

Madurai

Knowing that the people of Madurai will give a fitting blow to the family politics of Karunanidhi in the state, the DMK men led by its candidate Azhagiri has started violence in the constituency. CPIM Madurai East MLA Com. Nanmaran was attacked last day by the goons of DMK.

Complaints of money distribution, misuse of power for inducting bogus votes in the voterslist and burning of party election offices by DMK men has created tension in the city in the last few days.

The CPI (M) on Wednesday had demanded transfer of Madurai Collector P. Seetharaman and Commissioner of Police K. Nandabalan for their “inaction” on complaints of poll violation. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has alleged that the office of the Information and Public Relations Officer at Madurai Collectorate has been used to send election materials of ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to newspaper offices.In a statement, the CPI (M) urban district secretary, R. Annadurai, said that the ruling party had openly misused the official machinery in favour of the ruling party by sending an election campaign photograph of party candidate for Madurai constituency, M.K. Azhagiri, from the office of the PRO.]

(courtesy : The Hindu)