KANNUR: United Democratic Front (UDF) convener P.P. Thankachan has said Communist Party of India(Marxist) (CPI-M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan's statement defending the police firing in Nandigram is meant to be a warning to people launching agitations in the State.

Inaugurating a Collectorate march organised by the Congress here on Thursday as part of the State-wide protest against price rise, he said Mr. Vijayan's statement that the police had opened fire at Nandigram to restore order and democracy exposed the CPI(M)'s capitulation to multinational companies. Mr. Vijayan's defence was a veiled threat that those who were launching agitations in the State would be dealt with as in Nandigram, the UDF convener said.

On compensation

Staff Reporter writes from Kasaragod: The Left Democratic Front (LDF), which earlier promised to provide Rs.5 lakh each to the nearest of kin of those farmers in the State who committed suicide, had failed to implement its promise after it came to power, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) vice-president Mullappally Ramachandran has said.

Inaugurating the District Collectorate march organised by Kasaragod DCC on Thursday against price rise, Mr. Ramachandran said V.S. Achuthanandan as the opposition leader had said that around 1,500 farmers in the State committed suicide. But the present Government lead by Mr. Achuthanandan was saying that only 250 farmers had committed suicide and compensation needed to be given only to them, noted Mr. Ramachandran.

While the Union Government allotted Rs.60 crore to Wayanad, Palakkad and Kasaragod districts in the State to implement a Vidarbha model package, the State Government had not done anything, he said. Mr. Ramachandran demanded that the State Government allot an equal amount to those districts to implement a rehabilitation package for farmers.

He said the CPI(M) was coercing farmers in West Bengal to hand over their farm land to big industrialists. In West Bengal, the CPI(M) cadres who were dressed as policemen were torturing farmers, accused Mr. Ramachandran.

`Misrule'

Staff Reporter writes from Palakkad: A rally was taken out by the Congress to the Collectorate on Thursday in protest against price rise and the `misrule' of the LDF Government. KPCC general secretary M.I. Shanavas spoke.

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