People's Democracy

LDF Holds Sit-in against Price Rise

N S Sajith

ISSUING a strong warning for the state and central governments, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) staged on December 31 a sit-in before the State Secretariat. Taking the anti-price rise agitation to the streets, leaders and workers of the LDF participated in this day long dharna in the state capital. LDF leaders also accused that the UDF government and the central government had failed to check the price rise. Thousands gathered in the Secretariat premises to make the agitation a grand success.

While inaugurating the agitation, Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan lashed out at the chief minister Oommen Chandi, saying he had no time to address the basic issues like price rise as most of the time he is preoccupied in settling internal rifts in the ruling coalition. "If you cannot ensure supply of foodgrains and other essentials to the people at reasonable prices, it is better that you step down,” he said.

While speaking in the concluding session, CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan warned the government that the LDF would launch new struggles in the New Year. He said the UDF government had failed on all fronts while it is over-eager to dismantle the public distribution system.

CPI state secretary Panniyan Raveendran presided over in the agitation. CPI(M) Polit Bureau members Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and M A Baby, LDF convener Vaikom Vishwan, C Divakaran (CPI),  A A Aziz, N K Premachandran (RSP), Mathew T Thomas, C K Nanu (JDS), T P Pithambaran, A K Saseendran (NCP), Ramachandran Kadannappalli (Congress-S) and V Surendran Pillai (Kerala Congress) also spoke.