People's Democracy

‘Traitors Have No Moral Right’

Advani’s Attack On Communists Condemned

L K Advani during his rathyatra campaign in Kanyakumari district has attacked the communists by stating that "when patriots such as Kamraj fought for the country’s independence, the role of the communists is known to the whole country." Advani further appealed to the people not to vote for the CPI(M) as it "contributed to the divisiveness of the country".

Advani’s false and malicious charges against the communists will find no takers in Tamil Nadu. It is ironical that Advani is citing the role of K Kamaraj, the Congress leader during the fight for independence. The people of Tamil Nadu know that top communist leaders like P Ramamurti, Jivanandan, N Shankariah, A S K Iyengar and others were in the forefront of the national movement in Tamil Nadu. In fact it is these leaders who were in jail along with Kamaraj. It is well known that the Communist Party in Tamil Nadu was formed by leaders who belonged to the Congress-led national movement.

Advani should answer who were the leaders of his parent organisation, the RSS, or, even the Bharatiya Jan Sangh in Tamil Nadu who played a prominent role in the freedom struggle. Like Advani himself, there is no single leader of the RSS and its outfits who can claim to have played any worthwhile role in the freedom struggle in Tamil Nadu.

The CPI(M) is contesting the Nagercoil seat against the sitting BJP MP. The people of Nagercoil constituency, just as the people elsewhere, will see through this fake demagogy indulged in by the BJP leader.

Taking strong objection to Advani’s attack on the communists, the CPI(M) central committee member and former state secretary of Tamil Nadu unit, N Sankaraiah, has said that no amount of deceit by Advani would hide the fact that the RSS cadres not only kept away from the freedom struggle but also openly supported the British and acted as traitors.

In a statement released in Chennai on March 12, Sankaraiah took on Advani for his attack on communists during the course of his campaign meeting at Nagercoil on March 11. "L K Advani has no locus standi to attack the communists. The role of the communists in the freedom struggle, especially, in the state of Tamil Nadu may not be known to him. Comrades P Ramamurthi, Jeevanandham, R Umanath, M Kalyan- asundaram, P Srinivasa Rao, K Ramani, K Muthiah, K P Janakiammal, A Nallasivan, V P Chintan and myself were arrested and jailed for our participation in the struggle to attain independence. We were together with Kamaraj, Rajaji, R Venkataraman and others in jail. Advani may not know this. Comrade EMS and 400 other communist leaders were released from the prison just one day prior to the day of grant of independence in the year 1947", stated Sankaraiah.

He said it was people like Advani who were members of the RSS (which was then under the guise of Hindu Mahasabha) who acted as traitors and openly supported the British. He also underlined the fact that it was the RSS which was instrumental in assassinating the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, who had sacrificed his life for the cause of freedom.

"Late Sri K Kamaraj, who was then the president of the All India Congress Committee had condemned the communalism of the RSS and for that reason the RSS made an attempt on his life when he was at his residence at New Delhi. They indulged in vandalism and stoned the house and one of his assistants was also assaulted criminally. Advani inherits such an infamous legacy of the RSS. Neither he nor the leaders of the BJP has any moral right to criticise the leaders of the Communist movement", asserted Sankaraiah.