The Communist Party of India (Marxist) will observe ‘black day’ in Ernakulam district on Saturday on the occasion of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s arrival in Kochi, to protest against hike in LPG prices. Party cadres will organise protest marches across the district carrying black flags. Black flags would be hoisted in front of party offices. However, there would not be any attempt to wave black flags at the Prime Minister or to disrupt his programmes.
Talking to media persons here, CPI(M) district secretary C.M. Dinesh Mani said party representatives would also boycott the function in which the Prime Minister was scheduled to launch the new Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) import terminal. It is the only official function for Dr. Singh in the city. However, party leaders would attend other public functions of the Prime Minister - birthday celebrations of veteran Congress leader M.M. Jacob and 90 anniversary celebrations of Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi.
Mr. Mani said the party would organise a mass fast on Sunday, the final day of the Prime Minister’s visit, at Vyttila Junction. All the people’s representatives from the party in the district would sit along with director board members of various cooperative bodies on the venue of the fast for the entire day raising slogans against the price rise, he said.
According to him, the peaceful protest has been organised to mount pressure on Dr. Singh to grasp public sentiments and to roll back prices. “It is highly condemnable that the government hiked LPG prices for the third time in a month’s time. Aadhaar itself has no legal validity and the government has declared a war against its own citizens by forcing them to link Aadhaar with bank accounts to get LPG subsidy,’’ he said.
He urged the public to join hands with the party to mount protest on the day of Dr. Singh’s visit.
He said the Manmohan Singh government had failed miserably in arresting price rise and protecting people from market forces.
