PUDUCHERRY: The activists of All India Youth Federation (AIYF) staged a novel protest by placing a wreath at the gate of the Employment Exchange and sounding the conch as performed during a funeral to invite the authorities’ attention to their demands, which included filling up of vacancies from the registered job aspirants, distribution of unemployment dole and stoppage of appointments through back door.
The activists, led by the organization’s state secretary Anthony, came in a procession from the Rajiv Gandhi Statue by displaying the wreath and sounding the conch. Police prevented the protestors from entering the premises by erecting barricades. But, some of the activists, after indulging in pushing and jostling with the few police personnel present, reached the gate and placed the wreath. One of the activists was seen sounding the conch.
Senior CPI leader and former MLA, Na Ra Kalainathan, addressing the protestors, charged that the ruling government in Puducherry has reduced the Employment Exchange as a mere scarecrow as the filling of the vacancies were not being done on the basis of the selection from over three lakhs registered unemployed youth in the Exchange.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) leader wanted the ruling party government to put an end to the practice of employing people through backdoor in various Public Sector Undertakings and Corporations. He charged that nearly 150 people, who are followers of ruling All India NR Congress MLAs, were employed through backdoor in Bharathee Textile Mill, which suspended production till August 17 for want of raw materials.
Claiming that some of the persons employed were not even having the birth certificate of Puducherry, the CPI leader said such actions of the AINRC government would lead to anarchy.