CHENNAI: The left parties CPI and CPM staged hunger strikes across the districts on Monday condemning what they called anti-people policies of the BJP government at the Centre.
In the city, CPM State secretary G Ramakrishnan, CPI State secretary D Pandian and senior leaders of both parties addressed the people during the fast. Ramakrishnan said the 100-day rule of the Narendra Modi government has been highly pro-corporate, while the State government could not check the continuing attacks on fishermen. Pandian said Modi promised that if the BJP came to power, it would check attacks on fishermen, but the woes of fishermen at the hands of the Sri Lankan Navy continues.
In all the venues of the fast, including Villupuram, Cuddalore, Puducherry and Vellore, the Left leaders alleged that the BJP government was following the same economic policy of the previous Congress-led government and pointed out that Foreign Direct Investments have been allowed in insurance and defence sectors. They claimed that railways and banks are being privatised by sale of shares.
They also charged that the BJP is fuelling communalism and that there had been more communal clashes since he came to power.
In Villupuram, T K Rengarajan, Rajya Sabha MP and central Committee member of CPM presided over the hunger strike held at the old bus stand. In Cuddalore, Chidambaram MLA K Balakrishnan from CPM presided over the strike in front of the Collectorate, while in Puducherry, CPM TN executive committee member Gunasekeran kicked off the fast near the Head Post Office.