Date:05/04/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/04/05/stories/2006040505021400.htm

National

CPI (M) activists court arrest

Special Correspondent

MUMBAI: Hundreds of Communist Party of India (Marxist) activists on Tuesday courted arrest in protest against the Maharashtra Government's "indifference" to the plight of the common man.

At a public meeting at Azad Maidan here, Sitaram Yechury, MP and Polit Bureau member, said the party would intensify the agitation and step up the pressure in Parliament to make the Centre pay more attention to the common minimum programme, specially sections relating to rural areas.

Issues such as unemployment, ration cards for those below the poverty line, electricity and rural credit needed more attention. The State Government was not doing anything on these issues, he alleged.

On Monday, a party delegation met Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and raised issues such as extensive load shedding, poor public distribution system, suicide by farmers and widespread unemployment. But it got no satisfactory assurance from him. Ashok Dhawale, State unit secretary, said the party would begin a series of agitations to highlight the Government's apathy on issues affecting the masses. They would close down all Government offices at a later date as part of the protests.