Date:10/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/10/stories/2009011056620400.htm

Kerala - Kochi

Huge turnout at the CPI(M) rally

Special Correspondent

Photo: H. Vibhu

Massive: A view of the CPI(M) rally at Marine Drive in Kochi on Friday. –

KOCHI: Tens of thousands of CPI(M) cadres and sympathisers from all corners of Ernakulam district poured into the city on Friday to attend the party’s district rally held at Marine Drive.

There was no unified procession, but workers from different regions of the district came together to form several processions and finally arrived at Marine Drive in a rally. Party leaders said the idea of a single unified rally was abandoned in view of the possibility of choking the city roads. They pointed out that the Congress State conference in December, attended by Sonia Gandhi, too had opted not to have a unified procession in view of the inconvenience it would cause to the public.

More than 1,000 buses and hundreds of vans and jeeps had brought in party workers from every panchayat ward and municipal division in the district.

Long lines of workers carrying the red flag started arriving at the venue from 4 p.m. and continued to troop in even after the public meeting, addressed by party’s top national leaders, opened around 6 p.m. The police had restricted traffic on the main arteries of the city and vehicles were diverted. However, in spite of precautions taken by the police and rally organisers to prevent choking of the roads, many, mainly Banerjee Road, were full with buses carrying CPI(M) workers. On two-lane roads, one lane was reserved for the rally vehicles.

A large number of women, some of them in purdah (veil), attended the rally.