THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Youth Congress (YC) State president and vice president, MLAs Shafi Parambil and K S Sabarinadhan on Sunday started their indefinite fast in front of the Secretariat in solidarity with the PSC last grade rank holders protest.
KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran also visited the Secretariat protest venue to support the protesters.
At a time when the protestors had decided to hold indefinite fast before the Secretariat from February 22 onwards, the Youth Congress leaders' decision to sit on an indefinite fast was caught unaware by the LDF as well as by the protestors.
The PSC rank holders had started their indefinite protest on January 26 and since they are yet to get a favourable decision from the Government side, they have decided to intensify their protest. The YC State leaders told the protestors that they need not see their protest politically.
"Youth Congress has decided to support the PSC rank holders protest as it is their fight for their rights. Once the UDF Government comes to power, we will ensure that the protesting PSC rank holders' demands are met. Youth Congress has always stood for the welfare of the youth," said Shafi Parambil.
K K Riju, one of the protestors told TNIE that he and the other protestors were caught unaware of Youth Congress leadership deciding to hold indefinite fast in support of them.
"We are only too happy to see that YC has decided to support our cause. They are sitting not in our pandal, but in a separate venue in front of the Secretariat. Now, tomorrow if the DYFI also decides to hold their protest in solidarity to our cause, they are also free to do so," said Riju.
On Sunday morning, protestors including several women held "shayana pradikshinam" in front of the Secretariat. Laya Rajesh, the woman protestor who had faced the wrath of finance and industries ministers, T M Thomas Isaac and E P Jayarajan, fainted amid the protest and was taken to hospital by her friends.