By Express News Service

CHENNAI : Top leaders of key opposition parties, taking part at a 3.5-hour-long meeting commemorating late DMK president M Karunanidhi on Thursday, called for unity and consolidation of secular forces to take on the BJP ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Vociferous among them was Derek O Brien, Rajya Sabha Member and senior leader of Trinamool Congress, representing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “All parties that believe in federalism should join hands. All the State parties must come together to capture power in Delhi,” he urged, in a speech partly made in Tamil.

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The 2019 polls would provide the ideal platform to keep alive the spirit of Karunanidhi, he said, speaking after the departure of Union Minister for Shipping and BJP’s representative at the event Nitin Gadkari. “The best tribute we can pay to this great man of yesterday and today as a tribute tomorrow is: in 200 days every DMK worker should get together to give Stalin all the 40 seats in Tamil Nadu (including Puducherry). Forty out of 40 in Tamil Nadu and 42 out of 42 in Bengal. All federal parties must work together,” he said.

Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and president of the National Conference Farooq Abdullah, called on Karunanidhi’s son and DMK president MK Stalin to lead the opposition. “Stalin! I tell you, lead us to that nation that Gandhi could not take us to, your father could not take us,” he said. Expressing concern over the prevailing political situation, he said unless the opposition parties united, the nation would go down.

CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury stated that the real tribute to Karunanidhi was to take a resolve to strengthen the idea of India for which Karunanidhi worked.Referring to the recent arrest of activists, Yechury said, “What we are seeing today is State-patronised Emergency. Undeclared Emergency is worse than declared Emergency,” he said.

Nitin Gadkari leaves event early

Union Minister for Shipping Nitin Gadkari who was representing the BJP at the event left the event before its conclusion after hailing Karunanidhi’s opposition to the Emergency in his speech.

Pondy CM on Bedi, MK & federalism

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said he realised the importance of Karunanidhi’s thrust for state autonomy now in the wake of the intervention of the Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi in functioning of the government.

‘A true democrat for opposing Emergency’

Congress’ representative at the event Ghulam Nabi Azad said Karunanidhi was a true democrat for opposing Emergency, adding he never compromised his ideology.