CPI-M to picket government offices in Tamil Nadu against bus fare, milk price hike

CPI-M Tamil Nadu State Committe announced it would picket Tamil Nadu Government offices on November 28, demanding rollback of the recent hike in milk price and bus fares and oppose the proposed increase in power tariff in the state. 

CPI-M state  Secretary G Ramakrishnan, in a statement, said the AIADMK Government's 'neglect' of the protests by the opposition parties and public over the price hike was highly condemnable. He denied Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's recent remarks that the CPI-M had wanted her to take hard decisions to save the public sector units. Citing the precarious financial health of the public sector units, including the transport corporations, the Jayalalithaa cabinet has last week increased the price of milk sold by state-owned Aavin and bus fares and proposed hiking the power tariff. Ramakrishnan said CPI-M had an electoral tie up with AIADMK for the April 13 assembly polls only to remove the 'corrupt' DMK Government from power and had declared after the results that it would function as a 'constructive opposition'. "People thought that a change of government would bring them relief. But the AIADMK Government, by hiking the bus fares and milk prices, had caused a heavy burden on the people', he said. 

Mean while various protest programmes are being conducted across the state by various organisations including DYFI, SFI, AIDWA demanding immediate rollback of increased price for bus and milk. Police on Monday arrested the members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Students Federation of India (SFI) and All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) when they organised a picketing near the Central Railway station to protest .Raising slogans against the hike, they proceeded towards the railway station. They were stopped by the police near the signal, but still a section of them sat on the road and continue to raise slogans.

Many women participated, but only a few women police were present. The protesters and the police had heated arguments over the policemen arresting women protesters. They were released in the evening. The south Chennai district unit of CPI(M) held a demonstration in Pushpa Nagar in Nungambakkam highlighting similar issues. Around 140 members belonging to the DYFI and Students' Federation of India - 66 members in Dindigul, 28 in Palani and 46 in Gujiliamparai - were arrested as they picketed the A.M.C. Road near central bus stand in Dindigul and prime roads in Palani and Gujiliamparai in the district on Monday condemning the sharp hike in bus fare and milk prices.
(Photo : Gavaskar Theekathir)