More than 10 lakh people joined hands to protest against the BJP-led Union government's discriminatory attitude towards Kerala.
The human chain in Kannur. (Supplied)
It was a show of strength, 651 km long, in Kerala on Saturday, 20 January.
Lakhs of people from various walks of life joined hands to complete a DYFI-organised human chain from the Kasaragod Railway Station in the north to Thiruvananthapuram.
The human chain was organised in protest against the Union government’s continuing neglect towards Kerala. Incidentally, the event was organised two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 1.3 km roadshow in Kochi, Ernakulam.
Although the human chain turned into a live protest wall against the alleged neglect of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre towards Kerala, it also heralded the CPI(M)’s preparations for the fast-approaching Lok Sabha elections.
The massive turnout of youths, farmers, workers, and students also underscored the CPI(M)’s continuing mass base in Kerala, despite several scandals rocking the second Pinarayi Vijayan government.
The human chain was also a prelude to the massive protests planned by the state government in Delhi in the coming weeks, highlighting the Union government’s discriminatory attitude towards Kerala, especially on financial matters.
The human chain was formed between 4 pm to 5 pm, and public meetings followed in many locations. A trial chain was organised around 3:30 pm to detect breaches, if any.
Talking to South First over the telephone from Kasaragod, DYFI all-India president and Rajya Sabha member AA Rahim said that over 10 lakh people joined the uninterrupted north-to-south human chain. Rahim was the first link in the chain in the front yard of the Kasaragod Railway Station.
DYFI human chain in Thiruvananthapuram. Photo: Supplied
LDF Convener and CPI(M) central committee member EP Jayarajan was the last link of the chain in front of the Raj Bhavan.
The protest concluded with a massive political meeting. CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan listed the discrimination the state has been facing over the years.
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan was out of town when the protest meeting was held near the Raj Bhavan.
In Kasaragod, former Lok Sabha member and All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) president PK Sreemathi inaugurated the human chain.
DYFI state secretary VK Sanoj said that, in Kozhikode, the human chain highlighted several issues concerning Kerala, including the problems encountered by daily commuters in trains and the prolonged delay in approving the government’s prestigious SilverLine project.
Several social and cultural leaders joined the chain, protesting the BJP-led Union government’s discriminatory policies, which had landed Kerala in debt.
Significantly, the Chief Minister, his Cabinet colleagues, and leaders of other constituents of the ruling LDF stayed away from the event, which was purely an organisational show giving prominence to youngsters.
On 26 January 2020, the CPI(M) formed a similar human chain, demanding the withdrawal of the Citizenship Amendment Act. A north-to-south women’s chain was formed in 2019, pushing for the entry of women of all ages into Sabarimala, the forest abode of celibate god Ayyappa.
The DYFI organised Kerala’s first-ever human chain in 1987, highlighting the dangers faced by secularism and the unity of the country.
Saturday’s chain passed through all districts, except Wayanad, Idukki, Palakkad, Kottayam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta.
The CPI(M) entrusted the DYFI with the task of forming the human chain to motivate the party machinery after the conclusion of the state Cabinet’s 36-day Nava Kerala Sadas, a massive outreach programme that covered all the 140 Assembly constituencies.
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