CHENNAI: In one of the biggest meetings of the anti-BJP alliance, a group of senior political leaders got together in Chennai to commemorate the memory of late Tamil Nadu chief minister K Karunanidhi and vowed to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who was accompanied by party president Rahul Gandhi, was in the city to unveil a statue of the DMK stalwart. The figure was unveiled at Anna Arivalayam, DMK headquarters in the city. The leaders then made their way to the Karunanidhi memorial on Marina Beach to pay their respects to the late leader.
Later, speeches were given at the YMCA grounds by DMK Treasurer Durai Murugan, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanaswamy, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Sonia, Rahul, and MK Stalin. Sonia Gandhi called Karunanidhi a democrat and a secularist, saying it is her earnest desire that the “mutual support of the two parties remains strong and steadfast even as we wage battle with the political forces that are determined to destroy constitutional values, institutions and the idea of India as we know it.” She said, “As we stand here today, shoulder to shoulder, in memory of Dr Karunanidhi ji, let the message go to the people of Tamil Nadu, of the country that we are united and determined to protect and preserve our country's constitution and the constitutional values that have built and sustained India over the last 70 years.”
Rahul Gandhi recounted a meeting he had with the leader. He said he was humbled by his simplicity, honesty and humility. “While Karunanidhi defended the voice of the people of Tamil Nadu, the institutions of this country and this state, today we have a government that is attacking the voice, culture and institutions of Tamil Nadu and the country. A government that believes that only one idea should run India. A government that believes the billions of voices of this country should not count for anything. A government that does not respect the different languages and cultures of this country.”
He also said, “I want to tell the people of Tamil Nadu that in memory of Karunanidhi ji and out of respect for your language, culture and tradition, everybody in India is going to get together and defeat the BJP in the next elections. We are not going to allow the destruction of the idea of India, of our institutions, our Supreme Court, the Reserve Bank of India, the Election Commission. We are going to stand together and do this.”
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy also reminisced about his personal relationship with Karunanidhi, stating that the late leader always spoke about the welfare of the oppressed, Dalits and Adivasis when they two met. “Under the leadership of our young leader Rahul Gandhi at the Centre and Stalin in Tamil Nadu, we will bring about change in 2019," he said.
