Banners mounted as part of the signature campaign against the policies of the Central and State governments, mobilised during Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala’s month-long Padayorukkam, will be displayed along the 70-km route from the State Secretariat here to the Kollam Collectorate on February 6.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr. Chennithala and other UDF leaders said the signature campaign, which witnessed 1,08,43,450 persons signing in, has set a new world record. There have been several varieties of agitations, but this was the first time that one crore people participated in the campaign, their signature collected from 23,000 booths across the State. It also qualified for the world record for the longest banner, he said.
He said the UDF leadership was working out the finer details of organising the display of the banner that would be held at 5 p.m. on February 6. Senior UDF leaders will oversee one-km stretches each to organise the programmes. The unfolding of the banners will begin at 4.30 p.m. UDF workers will ensure that normal traffic is not disrupted. At exactly 5 p.m., all the banners, each 50 metres long, will be joined together.
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The workers will hold the banners for three minutes all along the left side of the National Highway between Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. By 5.30 p.m. the entire programme would be wound up and the UDF workers will gather at designated venues for a public meeting. The UDF will ensure the participation of prominent people from all walks of life. The “fort of protest” will reflect the popular resentment against the unpopular policies of the Central and State governments, he said.