Chennai: In an effort to reach out to a wider section of people, particularly young voters, in the May 16 Assembly elections, CPI (M) has come out with a series of video clips of senior leaders’ speeches on different topics varying from 'honour killings’ to Dravidian parties failure to uphold social justice.
CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat addresses people on ‘honour killings’ while Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar speaks on “Simple lifestyle in public life.” Party general secretary Sitaram Yechury appeals to youth to support People’s Welfare Alliance.
The video clips of leaders’ short speeches on different subjects are being shared in social media platform to reach out to youth. Besides, the clips are also being circulated through WhatsApp.
On love marriages, Karat said the orthodoxy and conservative forces are asserting themselves as they are backed by political parties. Accusing parties like PMK, DMK and AIADMK of compromising with castiest forces, she said conservative forces were empowered by political parties who don’t want a simple thing like a law. “Why should there not be a law, a standalone law, to outlaw so called honour killings”, she asked.
“On the contrary, why are they against this law? Precisely because they base themselves on a very narrow reading of political interest which is linked to the so called caste base which they believe they have to protect.” This is where individual choice which is enshrined in our Constitution gets completely subverted,” she said adding that if youngsters come together and assert their rights, “I think we can certainly overcome this.”
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar urges voters to give an opportunity to the PWA. The people of the State, especially minorities and weaker sections, have suffered from the rule of the DMK and AIADMK for nearly 50 years, he said, appealing to electorate, particularly youth, “whose future is very bleak at the national level and in Tamil Nadu too”, to support the third alternative. “If they (youth) want to wriggle out from this problem, they should come forward to strengthen this third alternative,” he said.
