As part of the efforts to broaden the front against the anti-people policies of the Centre and mobilise the people's support for the July 5 hartal, protesting the increase in prices of petroleum products, the CPI would rope in like-minded parties, including Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), headed by actor Vijayakant.
“Besides writing a letter, I will meet Mr. Vijayakant (DMDK president),” CPI state secretary D. Pandian told reporters on Tuesday.
The CPI(M) has already expressed its willingness to include the DMDK in all the mass struggles on people's issues. While the AIADMK and the MDMK are already working with the Left parties, political parties such as the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK), Indian National League and Mooventhar Munnetra Kazhagam had come forward to join hands with the Left parties to stage hartal.
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Mr. Pandian also announced the party's decision to launch a movement to retrieve Tamil Nadu from the “clutches of the DMK regime.”
“It would be on August 9, to coincide with the anniversary of Quit India movement. The form of the struggle will be decided by the state council of the party which will meet on July 31, August 1 and 2,” he said. Accusing the DMK government of not fulfilling its promise to implement 2-acre land scheme, Mr. Pandian said the government should come out with a report, explaining how much land it had acquired for the benefit of the corporate sector and private educational institutions.
Mr. Pandian alleged that in Tiruvallur district the area of land distributed was much less than actually promised. “But a ruling party man has been given 90 acres of land to start an engineering college. The government must also explain how much land it has distributed to the poor so far,” he said.
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He denied Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's charge that the CPI, along with the AIADMK and the MDMK, had asked President Pratibha Patil not to participate in the World Classical Tamil Conference.
“Blatant lie”
“It is a blatant lie. We never asked the President to boycott the conference. On the other hand, we told her to give consent to the resolution for making Tamil the language of the Madras High Court before attending the conference,” he said.
“It was I who wrote to the Chief Minister expressing our party's willingness to participate in the conference. But the government never responded to our query about the various sessions of the conference. It is unbecoming of a Chief Minister to level baseless allegations. It is against the ideas espoused by ancient Tamil literary works,” he further said.