The Hindu : Front Page : Oommen Chandy begins 24-hour fast

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Saturday, Aug 04, 2007
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Oommen Chandy begins 24-hour fast

Special Correspondent

In protest against ‘insensitive’ handling of chikungunya outbreak

Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy began a 24-hour fast in front of the Secretariat here on Friday to register the Opposition’s protest against the Government’s ‘insensitive’ handling of the chikungunya outbreak.

The fast began at 10 a.m. in the presence of hundreds of Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) activists and leaders of constituent parties. Inaugurating the fast, KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala accused the Government of having failed to meet the challenge posed by the chikungunya outbreak because of the dissensions within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and in the CPI (M). Although some 700 persons had lost their lives to the disease, the Government never succeeded in identifying the cause of the disease or to check its spread to different parts of the State, he said.

Mr. Chennithala said the Government forgot the people and their misery. Chikungunya was initially limited to two districts. However, with the Government making no effort to check it or find out the real cause for the outbreak of the disease, it spread to five districts in South Kerala and later to the other parts of the State as well. The Government did not utilise the funds and other support provided by the Centre to tackle the disease. It even had no idea about the number of people killed in the disease outbreak. The UDF would launch stronger agitations against the inept handling of the situation by the Government, he added.

Addressing the gathering, UDF convener P.P. Thankachan said the disease had affected the lives of some 17 lakh persons in the State. The Government failed to provide medicines and health-care to the affected people because it was totally immersed in the faction feud within the CPI(M) and the quarrels within the ruling alliance. It had not even cared to implement the decisions taken by an all-party meeting convened to discuss the issue, he said.

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