DMDK resort to agitation against price rise

Chennai, Mar 21 (UNI) Actor-turned-politician and Desiya Murpokku Dravidar Kazhagam (DMDK) founder Vijayakanth today staged a massive demonstration as part of his party's state-wide protest against the rising prices.

Police sources said about 3000 DMDK workers participated in the agitation held in front of the Chennai Collectorate near the Beach station.

Launching the agitation, ''Captain'' Vijaykanth said if the State and Central Governments did not take steps to curtail price rise, the protests organised by his party would take a different dimension.

Stating that spiralling price rise in the country was alarming, he said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself had acknowledged this. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has also accepted it and had written to the Prime Minister in this regard.

The DMDK leader said the price rise was due to hoarding of the essential commodities. ''Only if these items are brought into the open market, the price rise can be curtailed''.

He also alleged that there were large scale smuggling of rice meant for the PDS and the ruling DMK was silent on the issue.

More than 30,000 DMDK workers participated in the agitation held in front of the Collectorate of various districts in the State, police said.

However, party sources told UNI that more than 5,000 to 6,000 workers took part in the demonstration in the city, while over 60,000 workers participated in demonstrations held in various parts of Tamil Nadu.

UNI