DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin
DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin has made an appeal to his party members and the people of the nation to observe January 30 as Communal Harmony Day in remembrance of Gandhiji’s death anniversary. Attacking the Right Wing, Stalin claimed that even seventy-five years after Mahatma Gandhi’s death, the ‘anger of communal elements’ against him has not diminished.
TN Governor: “nation did not attain independence due to Gandhi”
Governor R N Ravi’s comment that the “nation did not attain independence due to Gandhi” only reflected malice, the ruling party chief alleged in a statement on Sunday night.
Stalin’s allegation comes days after Ravi said an ‘erroneous impression’ was created on his statement on Gandhiji. The Governor, on January 27 had said that he had only tried to ‘make a point’ that the revolt of the Royal Indian Navy and Air Force in February, 1946, inspired by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, accelerated the pace and process of Independence.
“I hold Mahatma Gandhi in the highest regard and his teachings have been the ideals of my life.” The Governor had made that statement on the occasion of the 127th birth anniversary of Subhas Bose on January 23. “…some media did cherry-picking from my speech and gave it a twist.”
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January 30 to be observed as ‘Communal Harmony Day’
The Chief Minister accused those involved in ‘besmirching Gandhiji’s reputation’ in an attempt to ‘damage pluralism’. Designating January 30 as Swachh Bharat Abiyan (National Cleanliness Day) by the BJP-led Centre was sabotage.’ This year’s October 2 March date was chosen by the RSS in an attempt to ‘divert’ attention. However, the administration under his leadership forbade it.
Stalin pleaded with the populace and party members that January 30 should be marked nationwide as a day of communal harmony in order to foster harmony.
The head of the DMK directed district party units to organize gatherings across all districts wherein pledges to promote religious harmony are made. Everywhere in the country, January 30, the day Gandhiji was assassinated in 1948, is remembered as Martyrs’ Day. To entice investments to the state, Stalin departed for Spain on January 27 and is expected to return on February 7.