The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) will organise a standup agitation in front of government offices in the district on
Thursday morning to protest against the alleged discrimination against Malappuram district in the State Budget.
IUML district president Sayed Sadikali Shihab Thangal and secretary U.A. Latheef said here that the first phase of the agitation would be launched by observing the COVID protocol. “We will avoid containment zones, and the protests will be organised in front of government offices which are functional,” they said.
They said only party office-bearers would take part in the protest to be staged from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. “If the government is not ready to change its discriminatory approach, then we will go for a people’s protest when the COVID restrictions are lifted,” they said.
The IUML alleged that the Budget had totally ignored Malappuram, the district with the largest population in the State. Malappuram had the highest number of COVID cases during the second wave of attack.
“The Budget did not even make a mention about the development of the Government Medical College, Manjeri; shifting of the General Hospital to Cherani; setting up of a women and children hospital; upgrading of the Government Medical College into a superspecialty hospital for the introduction of postgraduate programmes; setting up of a nursing college; and expansion of district hospitals.”
“The Budget ignored the KSRTC bus terminal at Kunnummal, construction of a flyover at Kottappadi, own building for Government Women’s College, Malappuram; development of Taluk Hospital at Kottappadi, expansion of the Sports Complex at Manjeri, setting up of a sports hub at Calicut University, expansion of Karipur airport, Nilambur hill highway, Nilambur-Nanjangud rail line, Tirunavaya-Thavanur bridge across the Bharatapuzha, Chaliyar tourism project, headquarters of
Malayalam University, and several other projects demanded by the MLAs from the district,” they said.
The IUML leaders said that the government was discriminating against Malappuram as a negative response to the election results in the district, where 12 of the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidates had been elected to the Assembly when the Left Democratic Front (LDF) had suffered a loss in its vote share.
