Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 2: Hundreds of workers of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) led by its state general secretary and legislator Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami today held an anti-price rise and anti-Government protest here but their march to Divisional Commissioner’s Office was foiled by police.
Hundreds of workers of the party, raising anti-Government and anti-price rise slogans assembled in Partap Park, Srinagar this morning. Breaking the police cordon later in the afternoon, the workers came out on Residency Road and blocked the traffic. They were trying to march to Divisional Commissioner’s office at Tankipora around 2 kilometers from Lal Chowk.
As they came out on Residency Road, the traffic was diverted through M A Road and police later cleared the road and the workers managed to reach Press Enclave.
While speaking on the occasion, Tarigami said that their protest is against the new policy of food security, the bill for which is presently pending with the standing committee of the Parliament. “We believe there should be an universal public distribution system,” he said.
Tarigami said, “Our demand is that every family, irrespective of whether it is living below or above the poverty line, should be given 35 kg of food grain every month at the rate of Rs.2 per kg and the huge food grain stores where the grains are wasting should be released for this purpose.”
He said that his party also demands that the Planning Commission’s highly dubious poverty estimates must be scrapped and these should not be made the basis for allotment of welfare funds. He also demanded distribution of 8 crore ton food grain stocks by increasing allocations immediately.
The CPI-M leader also criticized the State Government for its alleged failure to curb corruption in the State.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel