It was a different ‘May Day’ rally in the temple city of Tirupati on Friday, where the festive mood was at its peak. Against the sombre mood and serious slogan-shouting witnessed generally, the day witnessed spraying of colours and cheerful dancing by workers and members of various trade unions.
The workers jubilantly danced to songs blaring on the loud-speaders, which were popular picks from films highlighting workers’ strength.
Another highlight of the rally taken out by the Left parties was the depiction of the ‘anti-worker’ policies of the ruling dispensations, both at the centre and in the Telugu-speaking states.
While the look-alikes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Ministers N. Chandrababu Naidu and K.Chandrasekhar Rao came in the forefront, the workers flayed the leaders for scrupulously following the dictats of the World Bank and working against the interests of the poor labourers.
A man dressed in ‘suit and boot’ was shown as the ‘World Bank’. An artist dressed up as Lord Venkateswara added to the ‘native feel’, while a woman in the guise of ‘Bharat Matha’ was shown as weeping at the Government’s policies.
