The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : CPI(M) cadres acted like anti-social elements, alleges Oommen Chandy

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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

CPI(M) cadres acted like anti-social elements, alleges Oommen Chandy

Special Correspondent

Writes to VS condemning police ‘inaction’ during Wednesday’s strike

Says the strike was government-sponsored
Total loss for State estimated at
Rs.700 crore

Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy has alleged that CPI(M) cadres acted like anti-social elements during the Left parties’ general strike on Wednesday.

In a letter to Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan here on Thursday, Mr. Chandy drew his attention to the uninterrupted construction work that took place at the Thiruvananthapuram office sites of Deshabhimani and Kairali Channel at a time when party workers brought the entire State to a standstill.

Mr. Chandy, in his letter released to the press for publication, highlighted the hardship people had to undergo on account of the bandh “that had the full support of the LDF government.”

The police remained mute spectators when anti-social elements took to the streets, he said.

When the United Democratic Front called a hartal a few months ago, the Director General of Police and other officials had publicised their mobile numbers for the benefit of the public. But such an action was not taken this time and nothing was done to help stranded people. The thousands who boarded trains had to suffer for hours without drinking water after the trains were held up by picketers.

Drinking water and power supply was disrupted in several places. He said the police conspired with the strikers in their attempt to disrupt functioning of the Technopark and the Kinfra Park at Muvattupuzha. The total production and income loss sustained by the State was estimated at Rs.700 crore, he said.

‘Against people’

“Even though the ‘bandh’ was against the Centre’s polices, it turned out to be against the people,” Mr. Chandy said.

He said Kerala had witnessed 176 hartals and strikes this year. Of the 13 State-level hartals, seven were called by the LDF and five by the BJP. The UDF had called for only one hartal and that too as an extreme measure to register the government’s failure.

He said he could not agree with the practice of State-sponsorship to convert hartals into a total bandh. Such incidents were taking place in the backdrop of the High Court directions on hartals, he added.

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