A large number of workers took part in the public meeting to mark general strike called by various trade unions on Tuesday.
Addressing them near Town Hall, Dakshina Kannada district unit secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and president of All-India Beedi Workers' Federation B. Madhava said the Centre had increased the price of petrol 17 times in one year.
Although it collected a large sums of money as tax on petrol, the same had not been transferred to the people. Every increase in the price of petrol had a cascading effect resulting in increase in prices of all the essential commodities.
Mr. Madhava said the Centre was not ready to supply grains at Rs. 2 a kg although the Food Corporation of India's godowns were maintaining huge stocks. “The Government has not taken action despite a direction of Supreme Court (in this regard),” he said.
