AIADMK to observe fast in Coonoor tomorrow

Chennai, Jan 8 (UNI) The Opposition All India Anna DMK (AIADMK) will observe a fast tomorrow at Coonoor in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, protesting the Centre's move to shift the Boston Institute, producing anti-rabies drug, and against the DMK Government's ''anti-people'' measures.

Party General Secretary J Jayalalithaa, in a statement here, said the Centre was trying to shift to some other district, the more than 100-year-old Boston Institute at Coonoor, in which over 1,000 local people were employed.

The agitation was to protest against the Centre's ''anti-labour'' policy and also against the DMK Government, which had ''failed'' to protect the interests of the local people and the corruption in the DMK held municipality, she said.

Ms Jayalalithaa said the fast, to be led by party's minority wing leader Liyakat Ali Khan and Nilgiris District Secretary M Selvaraj, would be held at MGR Thidal.

She said that during her regime, farm workers, especially those who worked in tea estates in Nilgiris district, were issued farmers protection cards and the DMK, after coming to power, had stopped distributing them.

This deprived farmers from getting various benefits, she said, alleging that the Coonoor municipality, under control of the DMK, never bothered about the people.

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