THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress party and its youth affiliates have called for a slew of protests over the next two days against the apathy shown towards workers in traditional sectors and stranded Malayalis. While the KPCC’s protest is scheduled for Tuesday, the Youth Congress district leadership and the KSU state leadership are slated to protest on Monday.
The KPCC has called for a sit-in protest against the treatment being meted out to farmers, fisherfolk and other traditional workers during these tough times. KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran said Congress Mandalam Committees will stage sit-ins in front of village offices at 10 am on Tuesday.
Mullappally, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and AICC organising general secretary KC Venugopal will protest at Kowdiar, Peroorkada, Thirumala and Thycaud village offices respectively.
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The remaining KPCC and DCC office-bearers will join the protest across the state. Though farmers and fisherfolk were exempted from the lockdown, their work was affected seriously, the KPCC president said.
He said the moratorium announced by the state government has not helped workers from traditional industries. Rather than the moratorium, farmers are keen to have interest-free loans for a year. he said.
The KSU, the student wing of the Congress, will hold ‘Nilppu Samaram’ (standing protest) across 1,000 state and central government offices taking up the cause of the Malayalis stranded abroad and within the country. KSU president K M Abhijith said the one-hour protest – from 11 am to 12 pm on Monday – will urge the state bring back stranded Malayalis providing free train tickets. He said it is high time the government made KSRTC buses operational for those stranded.