Women complained about Tasmac shops, rising prices of essential commodities and non-disbursal of old-age pension to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders when they went on a door-to-door campaign against the “anti-people” policies of the Central and the State governments here on Tuesday.
Hemalatha (37), who was seen in tears, told sobbingly to the party leader, U. Vasuki, that her husband who became an addict to liquor at the Tasmac shop eventually died of addiction.
“My concern now is about my two teenage sons, who too have taken to drinking. If only the Tasmac shops are closed, women like me and my children will not face many of the problems they face now,” she said.
Ms. Vasuki led the campaign at Thaikkal in the city where she met mostly women residents and explained to them what the Left parties stood for.
Ammapillai complained that she had been frequenting to the Collectorate as the old-age pension has not been disbursed for the last two months. The pension would come in handy for her in the wake of price rise, she said. Women there said that they had been hit by the increased property tax and water charges.
A woman, who sells vegetables on the platform, said that many persons had halved the quantity of vegetables they usually buy because of the manifold increase in prices of vegetables. “What else can I do? If I make some money, I can repay my loan. If the vegetables are not sold, then my loan goes up,” she said.
Ms. Vasuki said the poor were not destined to be in poverty. “You can change the policy of the government that has kept you poor, if you put up a fight,” she told them.
She was critical about the State government’s liquor policy.
“In a State where a woman is the Chief Minister, liquor sale is boasted to be at Rs.21,800 crore a year. The government is only encouraging people to drink,” she said.
The party district secretary, B. Vikraman, said in the week-long campaign the party would meet at least one lakh people in the 72 old wards of the city. Party leaders N. Nanmaran, R. Jothiram, and CPI district secretary Jeyaraman participated.
