Date:06/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/06/stories/2008020660020300.htm

Tamil Nadu

CPI(M) stir against price rise

Staff Reporter

PHOTOs: S. SIVA SARAVANAN and M. Balaji

With the people: CPI(M) State secretary N. Varadarajan leads the party’s picketing agitation in Coimbatore on Tuesday to condemn price rise and (right) a procession organised by the party in Tirupur on Tuesday. –

TIRUPUR: More than 700 activists of the Communist Party of India(Marxist) were arrested here on Tuesday when they attempted to picket Government offices asking the Centre and State to contain prices of essential commodities.

They said that the United Progressive Government should not to raise prices of diesel and petrol. They wanted the Centre to be firm in implementing Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project, which it said would fuel economic and industrial growth in Southern parts of Tamil Nadu.

C. Govindasamy, MLA, and around 300 others were arrested when they took out a procession from old bus stand.

Nearly 400 others led by K. Kamaraj, district secretary of the party’s Coimbatore east unit marched from the CPI(M) office on Avanashi Road.

They raised slogans against the Centre and State Governments for their alleged inaction in containing prices of essential commodities.

CPI(M) activists were arrested at Udumalpet, Madathukulam, Pongalur, Palladam, Sulur, and Avanashi. All of them were released in the evening.