The Union government’s denial of Kerala’s rightful allotment of rice and wheat during the Onam season is a deliberate act of vengeance against the people of the State, alleged Communist Party of India (CPI) district secretary K.G. Sivanandan. He was inaugurating a district-wide people’s protest organised under the leadership of the CPI district council at Vellangallur on Wednesday.
Calling it a calculated move by the BJP to impose an economic and political blockade on Kerala, Mr. Sivanandan said the attempt is aimed at fuelling anti-government sentiment in the State. “The politically enlightened people of Kerala are not ones to forget such injustices easily. Since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre in 2014 under Narendra Modi, Kerala has been consistently targeted,” he said.
“Kerala is not asking for charity, but for its rightful share,” he said. “Essential food items like rice and wheat meant for the poor through the ration system are a matter of entitlement, not benevolence. The Union food and public distribution minister not only denied the allocation but went a step further by mocking the Kerala delegation’s plea at a press conference immediately after receiving their representation.”
He urged for widespread resistance against the Centre’s move, which he said amounted to starving the people of Kerala during the Onam season. The CPI will remain at the forefront of this struggle, he said. The meeting was presided over by CPI local secretary Suresh Panikkassery.
CPI leader C.N. Jayadevan addressed the protest in Manalur. K.K. Valsaraj (Guruvayur), V.S. Sunil Kumar (Thanniam), T.R. Ramesh Kumar (Kodannur), P. Balachandran, MLA, (Ollukkara), V.S. Prince (Amballur), K.P. Sandeep (East Anthikkad), Sheela Vijayakumar (Chazhoor), and Ragesh Kaniyamparambil (Vengidang) also led protests in various locations. V.R. Sunil Kumar, MLA, (Kodungallur) and K.S. Jaya (North Padiyoor) inaugurated the demonstrations in their respective constituencies.
The CPI held torchlight processions and protest dharnas in over 100 locations across all constituencies in the district, as part of the coordinated mass agitation.
Published – July 30, 2025 08:27 pm IST
