A PUBLIC meeting was held in Tirunelveli on July 12, to condemn the killing of Comrade Ashok, district treasurer of DYFI and CPI(M) activist, by caste Hindu goons. The meeting was addressed by CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Tamil Nadu state secretary K Balakrishnan, CPI state secretary R Mutharasan, CPI(ML) Liberation state secretary N K Natarajan, SUCI(C) state secretary A Rengaswamy, DYFI all India president P Mohammed Riyas, DYFI state leaders S Bala, N Rejees Kumar, C Balachandra Bose and others.

A welfare fund for the family of Comrade Ashok was handed over to his parents, by Yechury.

Comrade Ashok had championed the people's issues and led many struggles at the young age of 24. He was killed for taking up the issue of caste oppression and untouchability by caste Hindus in his village on June 12.

While addressing the meeting Yechury said, “The party heading the union government wants to demolish socialist, democratic India and wants to build a Hindu rashtra that perpetuates caste violence and hatred. Such a government has to be defeated through continuous struggles against all forms of hatred to ensure the country is saved from fascistic forces. Comrade Ashok's martyrdom is part of this larger struggle against the backward, regressive forces. There is widespread attack on the democratic structure of the nation and on the constitutional bodies.”

While voices of dissent were being silenced through a range of measures, including coercion and murderous attacks, democratically elected governments were being destabilised through undemocratic ways. With ill-gotten money pumped in by the corporate firms, elected governments in Karnataka and Goa were targeted with an eye on creating Opposition-free India. To make this job easier, all democratic institutions, including judiciary, CBI, RBI and enforcement agencies are threatened, he charged.

These activities have to be stopped and the nation has to be saved from such dreadful forces. The rich resources of the nation are in a danger of being sold to corporate companies. The lands of the farmers are taken over and given to private companies. PSUs are being sold, prices of petroleum products are increased, resulting in more burdening of the common people. This party (BJP) is claiming to be the real patriots, while they are the destroyers of the nation. The struggle taken up by comrades like Ashok will lead and inspire us in taking the fight forward against regressive, backward forces and to save India, Yechury said.

K Balakrishnan appealed to MPs, MLAs and teachers to check the attacks on dalits and religious minorities by oppressive forces.

R Mutharasan said Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, who had casually commented about ‘honour killings’, saying that it happened during the DMK regime also, had exhibited his inability to act tough against the perpetrators.