Memorial will be built for 22 Salem prison martyrs: Stalin

SALEM: Chief minister M K Stalin on Saturday announced that a memorial will be constructed in honour of 22 Communist Party of India workers who were shot dead in Salem prison in 1950.

"I took to the stage after placing the order for it over the phone with the relevant authorities. Construction will begin tomorrow," Stalin said while speaking at the Communist Party of India state conference in Salem.

The 22 cadres of the then banned Communist Party of India, who were among those imprisoned in Salem prison for their fight against landlordism, were shot dead by jail wardens when they refused to withdraw a memorandum about the ill-treatment the party workers faced in the jail. Of the 22 cadres who lost their lives, 19 hailed from Kerala, two from Tamil Nadu and one from Andhra Pradesh.

CPI state secretary R Mutharasan had submitted a petition to the CM to erect a memorial to commemorate the sacrifice of the 22 cadres.

Stalin said both the Dravidian movement and the Communist movement shared a fundamental friendship. “This bond is robust because the societal policies they advocate are equally strong. The Dravidian and Communist movements represent two aspects of the ideal of ensuring everything for everyone. The DMK symbolizes the union of black and red. You (CPI) are our counterpart. The significance of this policy relationship must be preserved across generations. Differences in policy should not create animosity," he said.

He said democratic forces should unite against casteism, communalism, autocracy and hegemony.

Stalin alleged that the BJP govt had transformed the Election Commission into an extension of the party. “They have made the Election Commission a puppet that can be manipulated if they hold the key,” he said.



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