Tamil Nadu leaders have condoled the death of revolutionary and former president of Cuba Fidel Castro.
DMK leader M. Karunanidhi recalled a poem he penned in 2006 to reiterate that Castro was the only world leader, he admired.
“He always remained a challenge to imperialism and saved his country with the help of the erstwhile Soviet Union and China in the face of economic sanctions imposed by the US,” the DMK leader said in a statement.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who used to pepper his orations with the history of Cuban revolution, said though Cuba was just 80 miles away from the U.S., Castro refused to give ground and survived many assassination attempts.
“He introduced revolutionary reforms and wiped out the face of capitalism in his country. The imperialist U.S. government could not do anything even 60 years after the revolution,” he said.
Placing him on the pedestal of socialism’s great heroes, the CPI (M) on Saturday paid homage to the Cuban leader. They held a condolence meeting on Saturday evening on the Marina beach. Party’s State secretary G. Ramakrishnan said that Castro had not just led the Cuban Revolution, but also fought for the cause of socialism across the world.
“In the 19th century, we had Marx and Engels. The 20th century had Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Che, Ho Chi Minh and Fidel,” he said.
Leading the party’s condolence meeting at Egmore, R. Nallakannu, CPI leader, said, “He wanted India to join the ranks of socialist countries across the world and constantly worked for the progress and peace of socialist nations.” Party’s State secretary R. Mutharasan praised Cuba’s advances in healthcare. “Doctors visit patients at their homes in Cuba. Castro’s resistance to American imperialism will be remembered. He even sent his doctors to treat Americans.”
PMK leader S. Ramadoss said even though Castro came under criticism for establishing single-party rule in Cuba, he fulfilled the aspirations of people and respected their sentiments. DK president K. Veeramani and BJP State president Tamilisai Soundararajan also expressed their condolences.
