Daijiworld Media Network - Kozhikode (SP)
Kozhikode, Feb 14: The three-day long Popular Front National Political Conference started here today with the chairman of Popular Front E M Abdul Rahman hoisting the flag at the Kunjali Marakkar Nagar in the beach.
Moulana Usman Baig, national executive committee member, offered the prayer. General secretary K M Shareef, vice chairman A Saeed, Organizing Committee general convenor O M A Salam, former Chairman E Abubaker, treasurer Dahlan Baqavi, Kerala state president V P Nasrudeen, Kerala general secretary Abdul Majeed Faizi, Tamil Nadu state president Mohammad Ali Jinna and various other dignitaries participated
Former chairman of Popular Front E Abubaker inaugurated the expatriate meet held as part of the conference at the Fraternity Nagar (Tagore Hall). He stated that the denial of voting rights to the expatriates, whose contribution is instrumental in the economic growth of the nation, is against democracy norms. The rulers who do not care to resolve the hardships faced by the ordinary expatriates, are interested in organizing meets of the affluent and influential expatriate community. The government is not taking any initiative to rehabilitate the gulf returnees who have been literally feeding the nation, he continued.
Hundreds of ordinary expatriates from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait participated in the meet.
E M Abdul Rahman, chairman of Popular Front presided. General secretary O M A Salam welcomed the gathering. Various leaders including Karnataka unit president Abdul Latreef, Tamil Nadu president Mohammed Ali Jinnah addressed the gathering.
Prof Shamsul Islam from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi inaugurated the Students Meet at the Townhall. He advised the youths to undertake the onus of saving democracy and secularism. He said that he is disturbed at watching the youngsters joining Sri Ram Sene, Bajrang Dal etc., to commit criminal offences under the banner of Sangh Parivar. Industrialists have transformed education into means of amassing wealth and higher education is beyond the reach of ordinary people, he pointed out
Popular Front vice chairman, A Saeed presided. National executive committee member Anees Ahmed delivered the key note address. Rona Wilson, convener of CRPP, Chand Pasha from Karnataka and several others spoke at the meeting.
Dr Mansoor Alam, chairman of the Institute of Objective Studies and general secretary of All India Milli Council inaugurated the media seminar on Political Empowerment: Quest for Alternatives, organized as part of the political conference.
Majority of the population consisting of Muslims, dalits and other backward communities are subjugated without political representation despite their mass backing for political empowerment, he said.
Popular Front general secretary K M Shareef presided. Vice-Chairman A. Saeed delivered the keynote address. The minorities should be prepared to move in the new path of empowerment diverting from the single-faceted substitute for BJP agenda, he opined.
Dr. Arshi Khan (Aligarh Muslim University), Siva Sundar (Karnataka), Dr. Jawahirullah (President, TMMK), Dr. Fazal Gafoor, Prof. A. Marx (vice president, CRPP) etc., spoke on the occasion.