Cong to organise protest in Kerala on Mar 22

Kochi, Mar 11 (UNI) The Congress will organise a statewide protest against the ''anti-people'' Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala on March 22, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President Ramesh Chennithala said today.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Chennithala said Congress activists, led by Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy, would sit on a 'dharna' outside the Secretariat at Thiruvananthapuram on March 22.

Similar 'dharnas', led by prominent Congress leaders, would be staged outside all the District Collectorates in the state.

Claiming that people were smarting under the LDF ''misrule'', Mr hennithala said prices of essential commodities were soaring as was the crime rate.

''Murders and highway robberies have become the order of the day.

Police is unable to check the mafia-goonda gangs,'' he said.

Suicides by farmers were continuing as the LDF had failed to put in place a proper package to address their problems.

Criticising the LDF government's first budget, presented this week, the committee President said it did not contain any new programmes or policies for state's economic development. Unlike other states, which were going all out to attract private and foreign investment, the budget had not come up with any concrete measures in this regard.

Flaying the government's decision to open 1,068 more toddy shops in the state, Mr Chennithala said this would only result in making Kerala into an "alcoholics paradise".

While the Left Front had in its manifesto promised to gradually introduce prohibition, it had done exactly the opposite after coming to power, he said.

He alleged that the government's decision to hand over the running of these toddy shops to co-operative societies indicated that these were going to help raise money for the Left Front.

On the government's decision to go in for the ADB loan, Mr Chennithala said the LDF had accepted the loan without making any changes in the conditions.

While in opposition, the LDF had protested tooth and nail against the same loan, he added.

UNI