LoP Satheesan calls for public debate on hartal culture; outlines UDF health sector reforms

Asked about CPIM state secretary M V Govindans statement that there would be no poor in the state if the LDF government retains power, Satheesan said the Left leader was living in some other world and trying to mislead the public.

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, on Thursday said the public must debate whether a national strike should be observed as a hartal or a complete shutdown (bandh) in Kerala. He was responding to reporters' questions about the Congress going ahead with its statewide rally on the day of the nationwide strike, in connection with the upcoming election. Satheesan said he was part of a party that has the highest number of affiliated trade unions and that he respects the cause of the nationwide strike. ''My question is: Is it appropriate in this age to turn a nationwide strike into a hartal or a bandh? I am not saying whether it is right or wrong, but I am placing it for public discussion,'' he said. He said people in other states were largely unaware of such a strike, whereas in Kerala, it was being turned into a hartal or bandh. ''There should be a public discussion, as only in Kerala, a strike becomes a hartal that brings normal life to a standstill. Whether this legacy practice should continue must be discussed by the public,'' he said. He said Congress believes several legacy practices should undergo change. ''Even when the CPI(M) was ruling in West Bengal and Tripura, a strike was never observed as a hartal or bandh,'' he said. Satheesan said the Congress statewide rally would also be used to sensitise people to the alleged anomalies in the Labour Codes that have prompted the nationwide strike. ''When a strike is conducted, people should also be made aware of its cause. I don't know how many people know the reason for the nationwide strike. Even CITU, which is blaming the Congress, has not conducted any campaign regarding the cause of the strike,'' he said. Asked about CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan's statement that there would be no poor in the state if the LDF government retains power, Satheesan said the Left leader was ''living in some other world'' and trying to mislead the public. ''My request to him is that he should come back to earth,'' he said. Satheesan alleged that the CPI(M) in Kerala was adopting a path similar to that of Sangh Parivar elsewhere in the country. ''That is why even strong Left sympathisers are openly saying there should not be a continuation of power for the LDF in Kerala. They are aggrieved seeing the CPI(M) turning into a fascist party,'' he said. Responding to questions about his frequent claim that the Congress is the true Left party, Satheesan said the Congress does not follow a right-wing ideology. ''We are Nehruvian Left. We never adopted a right-wing ideology that represents fascism. The Communist Party in Kerala is not a Left party,'' he said. At the press meet, Satheesan also announced reforms to be brought to the health sector if a UDF government comes to power. He said emergency medical care during the ''golden hour'' would be ensured, and ambulance services would be strengthened to reach every panchayat within four minutes. Medical insurance coverage would be expanded for lower and middle-income families, and shortcomings in Medisep, the state government's health insurance scheme, would be addressed. The operations of Public Health Centres would be strengthened to curb outbreaks of contagious diseases, he added. Hospitals would be digitally integrated to enable patient navigation and treatment tracking. ''We will also strengthen teleconsultation services so that patients do not have to visit hospitals frequently. There will be resource planning, including filling vacancies in the public health sector.'' The Congress leader also said more 'She Hospitals' would be set up and Karunya pharmacies, which provide medicines at affordable prices, would be restructured and strengthened. To tackle outbreaks such as Nipah and rat fever, a ''One Health'' system would be adopted in line with global guidelines. ''One Health means the health of the entire environment, including humans and animals. We will implement a One Health platform to address these issues,'' he said. Studies would be conducted on issues faced by people with disabilities and priority would be given to resolving them. ''We are planning a doorstep outreach programme to supply medicines to the elderly and persons with disabilities. Similar to anganwadis for children, we will start 'Ammawadi' to provide care for elderly women,'' he said. He also promised interventions to address issues faced by transgender persons and bring them into the mainstream. Satheesan said the Congress has established a health commission comprising expert doctors who have prepared a report on the requirements of the state's medical sector, which would be implemented if the UDF comes to power. Meanwhile, M V Govindan asked whether the INTUC trade union affiliated to the Congress, which allegedly blocked trucks transporting goods in Wayanad, would act similarly against the Congress political rally conducted on the nationwide strike day. ''It is learnt that even INTUC leaders had asked for postponing the rally, but the Congress and UDF leadership did not agree to it,'' he said. Govindan said that in support of the workers, the LDF had suspended its development-related state rally on Thursday. ''We thought that they would also stop the rally as part of the strike. But they did not stop, which will cause division among workers,'' he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)