Thiruvananthapuram, March 1: Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Tourism, Suresh Gopi, on Saturday assured protesting Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers in Kerala that their demands would be presented to the Central Government.
ASHA workers have been protesting in front of the Kerala Secretariat for the past 20 days, urging authorities to increase their honorarium and provide retirement benefits. Visiting the protest venue, Minister Gopi emphasized the significance of their agitation and warned against dismissing the genuine demands raised by these frontline health workers.
"No one should belittle the cooperative system of any political ideology by ultimately dismissing it. Many political systems have harmed the people, and all of that will be brought to light," Gopi told reporters after meeting with protesters.
Minister to Raise Issue with Central Government
Suresh Gopi assured ASHA workers that their sense of insecurity and grievances would be escalated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Health Minister. He noted that ASHA, being a centrally sponsored scheme, was established under specific criteria, adding that a review request could be made to the Prime Minister if workers believe changes are necessary.Clarifying his presence, the minister said he did not come to participate in the protest but rather to listen to and ensure their concerns reached relevant central authorities.
Opposition Accuses Kerala Government of Ridicule
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan strongly criticized the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, accusing it of ridiculing the ongoing protests. Addressing reporters in Kochi, Satheesan condemned the government's counter-protests as an insult to ASHA workers fighting for better wages."The ruling LDF is mocking ASHA workers demanding better wages by staging counter-protests," Satheesan said, questioning whether the state was governed by a Communist party or a right-wing extremist outfit.
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