Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has said that the United Democratic Front (UDF) will be forced to support the ongoing public protest against the gas pipeline laying work by GAIL (India) Ltd in view of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s ‘intolerance’ towards people’s agitations.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Mr. Chennithala said that instead of addressing the people’s concerns, the government was trying to drown the protest in blood by using the police.
Condemning the use of force against the agitators, he said, on the sidelines of the UDF’s Padayorukkam campaign here, that the ‘police raj’ against the protesters was unprecedented in the State.
Not against development
“We are not supporting the agitation against the pipeline because we are not against development,” he said adding that the Opposition would be forced to be in the forefront of the stir if it was being suppressed by force, he said.
He called on the government to hold discussions with the agitators to find a solution to the woes of the protesters.