Left parties to observe Oct 4 as 'Black Day'

Puducherry, Oct 1: The Left parties in the Union Territory of Puducherry would observe October four as a 'Black Day' to protest the visit of US Secretary-General Condoleeza Rice to New Delhi on that day and to register protest against the Indo-US Nuclear deal, CPI State Secretary Na Ra Kalainathan said on Wednesday, Oct 1.

Addressing a press conference in the midst of a joint meeting of the CPI, CPI(M) and Puducherry Munnetra Congress (PMC), Kalainathan said the PMC would join the agitation near the Venkatasubbarediyar statue carrying black flags.

The CPI leader alleged that the government had suspended the implementation of various schemes announced in the Legislative Assembly citing financial crunch.

The issue would be discussed in today's meeting and a decision to start a movement against it would be taken, he added.

Initially, the Chief Minister announced that the immediate financial requirement was Rs 342 crore which was later revised it as Rs 1,200 crore. To avoid the confusion, the Left parties demanded a white paper on the financial crisis, he added.

He said the Opposition parties were expressing constructive criticism and the ruling party should be matured enough to accept it.

UNI