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Saturday, Sep 26, 2009
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LDF fails to put up joint fight

C. Gouridasan Nair

Main constituents of the front organising different agitations against FTA

CPI(M) to organise ‘human chain’
CPI plans blockade of AG’s office

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Although the constituents of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) have all come out strongly against the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and nations forming part of ASEAN, they have not been able to come up with a joint struggle to highlight their opposition. Instead, each of the three Left parties has decided to have their own agitations.

The CPI(M) had set the ball rolling by announcing its decision to organise a ‘human chain’ through the length of Kerala on October 2. The party machinery is working overtime to ensure that the symbolic protest is big success. Meetings are on across the State to educate the people about the possible negative consequences of the agreement. Door-to-door campaigns are being organised to mobilise party cadres for the October 2 agitation. Hoardings have been put up across the State to announce the ‘human chain.’

The CPI has decided to hit the streets a day earlier, on October 1, with a blockade of the Accountant General’s office here and Central government offices in the district headquarters.

Party leaders said the decision to organise an agitation of their own was taken after their proposal for a joint agitation at a recent LDF meeting was rejected. The CPI leadership is also striving to make the agitation a success, but the possibility of the impact of the Left’s campaign against the agreement getting dissipated is not lost on party leaders. “It is sad that we could not put up a joint fight on an issue like this,” a party leader said.

RSP’s move

The last LDF constituent to announce its own agitation is the RSP, which will hold a Raj Bhavan march and sit-ins at various Central government offices across the State on November 5. Party State secretary V.P. Ramakrishna Pillai said here that the Raj Bhavan march would be launched by RSP general secretary T.J. Chandrachoodan.

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