Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 27 – A Youth Congress-led protest in support of ASHA workers turned chaotic on Thursday as police deployed water cannons and mild force to disperse demonstrators attempting to breach the state secretariat.
The protest, organized to demand an increase in honorarium and retirement benefits for ASHA workers, escalated when Youth Congress activists hurled sticks, stones, and chairs—placed initially at the protest site—at the police, resulting in minor injuries to several officers.
Despite multiple attempts from different entry points, authorities effectively prevented the demonstrators from entering the secretariat compound. The protesters also tried dismantling iron barricades at the south gate of the secretariat, aiming to block MG Road, a key arterial route in the city. Despite continued provocation, police refrained from using a lathi charge.
The Congress party had earlier pledged its support for the ASHA workers' agitation, accusing the state government of ignoring their demands. On the day of the protest, the government credited all pending payments to the ASHA workers, though the central government’s share of the honorarium remains unpaid.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders, including former Union Minister V Muraleedharan and Shobha Surendran, visited the protest site in solidarity with the striking workers. Muraleedharan accused the state government of misleading the public by attempting to shift the blame onto the central government, asserting that this was a diversion tactic to downplay the workers' grievances.
The protest highlights the ongoing struggle of ASHA workers, demanding fair wages and benefits amid continued political wrangling over their dues.
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