Pondicherry: Volunteers of the Pondicherry State unit of the AIADMK, the MDMK and the DPI held a joint demonstration under the leadership of former Tamil Nadu Minister and AIADMK's high command delegate E. Madhusudhanan at the Head Post office here on Monday condemning the `unjustified rise in prices of petrol and diesel effected recently by the Central government.'

Volunteers carrying placards and flags of their respective parties repeated slogans raised by Pondicherry AIADMK legislator A Anbalagan. Addressing the demonstrators, Mr. Madhusudhanan said whenever the Congress and DMK came to power, they causedhavoc to the economy and inflicted hardships on the poor by jacking up prices of petrol, diesel and essential commodities. Stating that the recent price hike was `anti people', he criticised the DMK government for keeping quiet on the price hike. Mr. Anbalagan, secretary of the Pondicherry unit of the MDMK N. Manimaran, DPI State secretary S. Paavanan and party functionary Vetriselvan condemned the price rise. They urged the Centre to immediately rollback the increase in prices.

Mr. Madhusudhanan and local AIADMK functionaries climbed a bullock cart and occupied a motorcycle seat on the cart, indicatingsymbolically the impact of the price hike leading to the society returning to the age of bullock carts.

Mr. Anbalagan appealed to voters to teach the DMK and Congress a lesson in the forthcoming civic polls. He also said the communist parties should withdraw their support to the UPA Government if they really opposed the hike in prices of petroleum products.

Om Shakthi Segar, MLA (AIADMK), AIADMK women's wing leader , Ms. Kalaiselvi and former legislators of the party K. Natarajan, A.M. Krishnamoorthy, Parasuraman and Purushothaman participated.

Protest in Cuddalore

As part of the State-wide agitation against hike in petroleum prices, the AIADMK leaders and cadres took out rallies and held demonstration in front of the Central Government organisations in Villupuram and Cuddalore districts on Monday.

At Villupuram the party cadres pulled a Sumo with ropes, signifying that the prices of petroleum products had become unaffordable.

They took out a procession from the Mahatma Gandhi statue to the head post office where they held a demonstration. Those, who participated, included party district secretary C.Ve. Shanmugham, MLA, Ginjee Ramachandran, MP, and functionaries of the MDMK and the DPI. In Cuddalore, some of the AIADMK party men came by a bullock cart, implying that the skyrocketing petroleum prices would force the people to take to primitive means of transport.

The AIADMK district secretary, Sorathur Rajendran, Arunmozhithevan and Selvi Ramajayam, MLAs, the MDMK district secretary S. Padmanaban, the DPI joint general secretary, Selvaperundagai, and others staged a demonstration in front of the head post office at Manjakuppam.

In Vellore

A large number of workers belonging to the AIADMK and its allies staged a demonstration in front of the Head Post Office here on Monday morning, protesting against the increase in the prices of petrol and diesel, effected by the Centre.

Gokula Indira, Rajya Sabha MP and secretary of the State AIADMK Women's Wing presided over the demonstration.

N. Jothi, Rajya Sabha AIADMK MP launched the demonstration, while K. Pandurangan, former minister and Vellore west district AIADMK secretary addressed meeting.

Functionaries of alliance partners, N. Subramani (MDMK) and Abdul Khader (Indian National League), besides those of the Tamil Maanila Muslim League and the DPI participated in the demonstration, which was held amidst tight police security.

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