This is not an election to win seats but to save the nation from communal forces and corrupt leaders, said D. Pandian, the State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) at a meeting held here on Sunday, to launch the campaign of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) nominee and sitting Member of Parliament P.R. Natarajan.
It was also a “dharmic” fight to save the nation from being sold to capitalists and multi-national companies.
To save the nation, the Left parties' workers should reach out to voters, explain their alternative policies and seek votes. In meeting the people the parties' cadres were more qualified than others because they were committed to an ideology to protect the country and its people and were not corrupt. No Communist party nominee was tainted, he added.
If voted to the Parliament, the Left parties MPs would participate in the next government formation or at least prevent the wrong government from being formed, Mr. Pandian vowed.
Mr. Pandian asked the CPI and CPI (M) workers to explain to the people why the formation of the next government was crucial to the country's economy as many Indian and foreign companies were keen to have a friendly government that would help them exploit the natural resources. The country's wealth was waiting to be looted.
It was also the duty of the Left parties' workers to help the voters identify the wrong, corrupt and tainted candidates, many of whom were seeking re-election to protect the looted wealth and loot more. It was also their duty to identify opportunistic candidates and leaders, who had now embraced divisive, communal forces to get elected.
In Coimbatore, the voters were well aware of contribution of the trade union movements and their leaders, a few of whom had sacrificed their lives. And, the voters were also well aware of sitting Member of Parliament P.R. Natarajan's contribution.
So, there was no need to introduce him to the voters, Mr. Pandian said.
CPI(M) nominee P.R. Natarajan said that if voted to the Parliament he would work towards strengthening micro, small and medium enterprises, which is the backbone of the city's economy. He would also complete the pending works that he could not in his current term.
Leaders who spoke at the function exhorted the workers to meet voters, form booth and ward committees to secure votes for Mr. Natarajan. Valparai MLA M. Arumugham also spoke.