Braving the afternoon sun, thousands of women lined the national highway from Vaidarangadi to Azhiyur in the district on Tuesday to link up with the women’s wall and take a pledge to preserve the spirit of Kerala social renaissance.
The wall of women on the 76-km NH stretch in the district from 4 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. saw the participation of over three lakh people. However, a CPI(M) leader claimed the participation of six lakh women. People from Wayanad also joined the programme. As many as 30,000 people from Wayanad led by CPI(M) legislator C.K. Saseendran took part in the five-km stretch on the Wayanad road in the district.
Ministers T.P. Ramakrishnan and A.K . Saseendran coordinated the State-wide programme in the district. No untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the district even as police put in place tight security arrangements.
Specially arranged vehicles ensured that the participants reached their designated spots on the highway. The State government had earlier carried out massive campaigns including rallies, marathons and flash mobs, contests for women at taluk, municipality and grama panchayat levels for the D-day.
About two lakh women under the Kudumbasree Mission were part of the wall formation, besides members of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, representatives of various women’s organisations, voluntary agencies, NGOs, and women from different walks of life.
Writers P. Valsala, C.S. Chandrika, Khadeeja Mumtaz, B.M. Suhara, Arya Gopi and K.P. Sudheera and social activist K. Ajitha took part in the programme. All India Democratic Women’ s Association State secretary P. Sathidevi read out the pledge near Muthalakulam Maidan in city. Similar functions were also organised at Koyilandy and Vadakara.
