Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Congress stages dharnas in protest against price rise

Thiruvananthapuram: Hundreds of Congress workers converged in front of the Secretariat and various district collectorates to stage demonstrations in protest against the State government’s alleged failure to tackle price rise.

Inaugurating the demonstration here, the senior Congress leader K. Karunakaran said the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government would have to witness a series of strong agitations in the coming days if it failed to perform. “Let the LDF keep away from office for three months; I will show you how to run a government,” Mr. Karunakaran said. There was no political force that could match the strength of a united Congress.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Ramesh Chennithala said agitations by the Congress and the United Democratic Front would continue till the end of LDF rule came about. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) had degenerated into a party representing the interests of the industrial lobby.

The party staged agitations in front of all district collectorates, except in Pathanamthitta, Thrissur and Kollam. Pathanamthitta was spared on account of the Sabarimala piligrimage, while Kollam was left out to prevent hardship to thousands of students and teachers who landed in the district headquarters for the 48th State School Arts Festival. The demonstration in Thrissur was not held owing to the “Janamunnetra Yatra” of the District Congress Committee.

Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy inaugurated a demonstration in front of the Palakkad Collectorate. P.C. Chacko led the demonstration in Alappuzha; Benny Behanan in Kottayam; Joseph Vazhakkan in Idukki; P.P. Thankachan in Ernakulam; Aryadan Mohammed in Malappuram; Mullapally Ramachandran in Kozhikode; E.M. Agusthi in Kannur; and K. Sudhakaran in Kasaragod.

The party will stage demonstrations in Pathanamthitta and Kollam on January 18. The date for the Thrissur demonstration would be announced later, a statement of the KPCC said.

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