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TN gears up for plethora of rallies

Tamil Nadu will be abuzz with political activity during the next fortnight, with as many as six parties holding rallies in Madras and elsewhere in the state to send out political signals about their future strategies.

With the parties striving hard to flex their political muscle, buses, trucks and vans carrying party cadres will criss-cross Tamil Nadu's highways in the next two weeks.

Madras is expected to bear the brunt of the political traffic, with the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazagham led by Vaiko, aka V Gopalaswamy, holding a party rally on September 15 in which Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Union Home Minister Lal Kishinchand Advani will attend. This would be the first meeting to be addressed by the two leaders in the city after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government assumed charge at the Centre nearly six months ago.

Vaiko's plan of bringing together leaders of all constituents of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham-led front on a single platform by using the rally on the occasion of the 90th birth anniversary celebrations of Dravidian titan C N Annadurai, however, has received a setback, with AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha chosing to address a parallel public meeting on the same day at Tiruchirapalli.

However, Dr S Ramadoss, founder-leader of the Pattali Makkal Katchi which has a substantial presence in the northern districts, has promised Vaiko that he would attend the MDMK rally.

The ruling DMK, which has all along celebrated 'Mupperum Vizha' combining the late Annadurai's birth anniversary with that of rationalist leader Periyar E V Ramasamy and the party's founding day at its headquarters 'Anna Arivalayam' in Madras, has decided to shift this year's rally to the southern town of Tirunelveli.

According to DMK president and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, the party has decided to hold the rally at Tirunelveli on September 16 and 17 to avert a clash of schedule with the prime minister's visit to Madras on September 15.

The DMK, which is in its golden jubilee year, is expected to finalise its future strategy vis-a-vis the Vajpayee government, given the strained relationship between the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally, the AIADMK.

Even as the three Dravidian parties are preparing themselves for a massive show of their respective strengths, the Left parties too had announced rallies in Madras and in Dindigul near Madurai.

The Communist Party of India is scheduled to hold its six-day-long 17th party congress in Madras from September 14 to finalise its approach on the issue of extending support to the Congress in the event of the latter forming an alternative government at the Centre.

Former Union home minister Indrajit Gupta will address the CPI congress which would culminate in a rally on September 19.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist's state unit has proposed to conduct a week-long campaign from tomorrow to protest against the "anti-people" policies of the BJP-led government at the Centre. The campaign would culminate in a rally at Dindigul on September 13 to be attended by party general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet.

The CPI-M meeting assumes significance in the wake of party state unit secretary N Sankariah asserting that the party would extend outside support to the Congress if it formed an alternative government at the Centre.

Not to be outdone, the fledgling Pudhiya Tamizhagam of Dr K Krishnaswamy, MLA, is holding a conference on September 11 and 12 at Ramanathapuram. The party, which champions the cause of dalits and the minorities, hopes to enhance its strength in the southern districts by holding the conference.

UNI

EARLIER REPORTS:
Cracks in AIADMK front exposed
Jaya to skip town during MDMK's Madras rally despite PM, Advani's presence

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