IDUKKI: There seemed to be no let-up in the strike by thousands of Kanan Devan Hills Plantations company labourers, mainly women, who stood firm on their demands, including 20 pc bonus and a minimum daily wage of Rs 500, for the seventh day on Saturday. What’s more, they released a list of 150 politicians, including S Rajendran MLA and former Congress legislator A K Mani, who accepted favours like bungalows from the Tata company.
CPM leaders, including state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Kannur MP P K Sreemathy, addressed the agitators after facing some initial resistance. All the demands of the plantation labourers are justified and should be accepted at the earliest, Kodiyeri said, throwing in his lot with the protesters. Not a single penny of the `10 crore earmarked in the last budget for improving the dwellings of the plantation labourers has been spent so far. At least 10 cents of land should be allotted to the workers, he said.
Though the agitators resisted Sreemathy’s bid to sit along with them, they relented after Peermade MLA E S Bijimol intervened in the matter.
She was followed by Kodiyeri, M C Josephine and K K Shailaja MLA. The visit of the CPM leaders who chose to meet the protesters before going to the stir venue of S Rajendran MLA did not create much wave among the agitators. Writer and Aam Admi party leader Sara Joseph and Idukki MP Joice George too lent their support to the agitators by coming to the protest venue and addressing them.
VS to Meet Protesters Today
Against the backdrop of the strike by the KDHP company labourers, the CPM district secretariat met later in the day and decided to give all support to the stir. The meeting was held without notice after cancelling all the three programmes scheduled for CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in the district on Saturday.
Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan would address the striking labourers in Munnar at 11 am on Sunday. Agitators who are keeping all politicians away from the stir have said they would welcome him if he came to the protest venue.