The nation is under grip of fascism and communalism that needed to be fought head on. This was the sum and substance of the voices of the united Opposition that tore into the Modi government for its attempts to divide the country.

Leaders of different opposition parties congregated in Chennai to felicitate DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi on his long innings in public life on his 94 th birth anniversary, which also served as a venue for them to hold discussions on putting up a common candidate against NDA candidate in the forthcoming presidential poll.

AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi took on Modi and his demonetization and said he never took anyone’s counsel but acted unilaterally.

Rahul Gandhi said that the entire world declared that the decline in Indian economy is due to demonetization, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says something else.

“What Jaitley does not telling you it that Modi did not tell him about demonetization,” Gandhi said.

“None of us have the arrogance to tell you what is good for you,” Rahul Gandhi said addressing a public gathering in Chennai, held to commemorate the golden jubilee of Karunanidhi’s life as a legislator.

Taking on the RSS and the BJP, Rahul Gandhi declared, “none of us would allow RSS to impose its ideology on the country. We will not allow wrong idea.”

Gandhi thanked DMK working president MK Stalin for organising the meeting. “One day we will speak about Stalin as we speak about Karunanidhi today,” Gandhi said.

Speaking in Hindi which was translated into Tamil, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said Karunanidhi is a tall leader who fought for social justice for downtrodden and backward classes.

Kumar said Karunanidhi was instrumental in the implementation of Mandal Commission recommendations providing reservation for backward castes during the National Front government under late Prime Minister V.P.Singh.

Stalin is expected to lead the next government in Tamil Nadu, he said and hoped Stalin will introduce full prohibition in the state. In Bihar, prohibition had yielded positive results, the Bihar chief minister said adding crime rates as well as accident rates had come down and household income had gone up.

CPI National Secretary D.Raja said Karunanidhi had the guts to ask whether `Rama was a qualified engineer to build the Ram Sethu connecting India and Sri Lanka’ when there were opposition for the Sethusamudaram Canaproject. Raja hoped Stalin would fight to free the country from communal forces.

NCP Parliamentarian Majeed Memom said Karunanidhi’s presence is needed as the nation faces a wind that was blowing to fan fascism and communalism in the country.

CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the challenges posed by the BJP and the centre have to be met by a united opposition.