VIJAYAWADA: Tension prevailed at Vijayawada railway station on Monday morning after the police arrested hundreds of midday meal workers who were going to participate in ‘Chalo Vijayawada’ protest called by Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) at Dharna Chowk in Gandhinagar.
With the State government taking the unilateral decision of removing as many as 85,000 midday meal workers by giving contract to private parties, CITU gave a call to the workers across State to come to Vijayawada on August 6 and stage a protest demanding fulfilment of election promises made by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. Midday meal workers from 13 districts reached Vijayawada and police arrested some of them in an attempt to prevent untoward incidents from happening, and to restrict them to the railway station.
Following the arrests, CITU leaders staged a sit-in protest at Dharna Chowk in Gandhinagar, demanding an explanation from the police over their fellow workers’ arrest. “Police showed their high-handedness on CITU leaders who staged the protest demanding that the government give minimum wage of `5,000 to every worker. Instead, they are roping in private parties and removing all workers,” CITU state general secretary MA Gafoor said.
“After Anna Canteens, supported by Akshaya Pathra Foundation, sprung up in State, the government started considering us a burden. They are trying to give contracts of supplying food to all government schools in the State. With this move, around 85,000 workers will lose their employment,” said the AP Midday meal workers association general secretary K Swarupa Rani.However, reacting to the incident, CPI(M) leader P Madhu, said, “Police arrested more than 500 workers. They were distressed because they lost their employment. Is this the way to treat the workers?,” she asked, adding that Chandrababu Naidu’s government is a curse to workers.