Southern States - Kerala   

CPI siege hits work at taluk offices

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Dec. 19. With hundreds of CPI activists, including scores of women, laying siege to taluk offices across the State from early this morning, none of the taluk offices could function for the entire day today.

Police resorted to lathicharge on the CPI activists at Chengannur injuring several persons, arrested several CPI workers at Ernakulam and was engaged in a minor scuffle with them at Kottarakkara. The State CPI leadership put the participation in the agitation at one lakh and said it was reflective of the people's ire over the negative effects of the Government's liberalised economic policies and the police's failure to put down the mafia gangs operating in different parts of the State.

Inaugurating the siege before taluk office in the city this morning, the CPI State secretary, Veliyam Bhargavan, said the stir was but the beginning of a prolonged agitation against the anti-people policies of the Antony Government.

If the Government did not correct its policies, it would have to face stronger agitations. The CPI on its own and the LDF constituents together would mount a strong assault on the Government, he added.

The All India Kisan Sabha State president, C. K. Chandrappan, the AISF State president, V. P. Unnikrishnan, the CPI district secretary, N. Aravindan, and the Deputy Mayor, M. Sujanapriyan, also spoke.

Inaugurating the siege of the Cherthala taluk office in Alappuzha district, the former Chief Minister, P. K. Vasudevan Nair, accused the Government of having failed miserably in offering protection to the life and property of the people and of having bartered away the sovereign authority of the Government to multilateral lending agencies.

Only a joint offensive by the masses could stop the Government from going further on such a disastrous course, he said. CPI activists reached the taluk offices and began the siege from 6 a.m. and stayed on till 5 p.m.

Although the siege passed off peacefully in most parts of the State, there was a minor scuffle with the police Kottarakkara. The police resorted to lathicharge when the CPI activists tried to force their way into the taluk office at Chengannur. Seven persons who sustained injuries in the lathicharge were hospitalised. The CPI State secretary rushed to Chengannur in the afternoon on learning about the incident.

The CPI State assistant secretary, Panniyan Ravindran, inaugurated the siege at Neyyattinkara, the AITUC State general secretary, C. Divakaran, inaugurated the siege of the Chirayinkeezhu taluk office and the CPI State executive member, K. Govinda Pillai, inaugurated the siege of the Nedumangad taluk office.

In the north, the siege of various taluk offices were inaugurated by the former Revenue Minister, K. E. Ismail, the party national executive member, V. V. Raghavan, and the CPI Legislature Party leader, K. P. Rajendran.

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