Prakash Karat Warns of Threat to Secularism, Highlights Tamil Nadu Poll Significance

Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and former general secretary Prakash Karat addressed a public campaign meeting in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, on Thursday. Speaking in support of the Secular Progressive Alliance’s DMK candidate, P. Geetha Jeevan, Karat emphasized the critical political importance of the upcoming Tamil Nadu elections within the broader national context. He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have been actively working to dismantle India’s secular republic over the past twelve years. Karat criticized the central government for consistently pursuing a Hindutva agenda, which he argued poses a significant threat to the country's democratic and secular fabric. By framing the state election as a pivotal moment for resisting this ideological shift, Karat urged voters to recognize the stakes involved in preserving secular values. The event highlights the intense political rhetoric surrounding the elections, with opposition leaders linking regional outcomes to the preservation of national constitutional principles against perceived majoritarian pressures from the ruling coalition at the center.