TN This Week: Fishermen Protest Diesel Price Hike, Demonstrations Against New Labour Codes

Fishermen in Rameswaram protested the diesel price hike and demanded an increase in the monthly subsidy of diesel. The fishermen are disappointed with the DMK for not fulfilling its poll promise of an increase in diesel subsidy in the Budget.

Requesting the Centre to immediately intervene and save their livelihood, the fishermen said that they are suffering due to the high cost of the fuel, declining fishing and the loss incurred due to the inability to operate boots. They also said that since the fishing industry earns a large amount of foreign exchange, the government should help them at the earliest.

UNORGANISED SECTOR WORKERS PROTEST

Unorganised workers protest in Nungambakkam, Chennai.

Unorganised workers from 20 different sectors participated in a state-wide protest on August 23 against the new labour codes passed by Centre. The workers, led by the Unorganised Workers Federation, gathered at the various district headquarters and submitted memorandums to district collectors. Watch here

KAMARAJAR PORT WORKERS PROTEST

Kamarajar Port workers demand regularisation of contract workers. Image courtesy: CITU, Tamil Nadu

Blocking the entrance of the Kamarajar Port, its workers held a protest on August 25 demanding regularisation of contract workers. Equal pay for equal work, retirement for women workers, employment for the heir of the deceased were among other demands of the workers. 

SAND BULLOCK-CART WORKERS PROTEST

Sand bullock cart owners protest demanding opening of quarries. Image courtesy: CITU, Tamil Nadu.

Demanding that the allotted sand quarries be opened, hundreds of bullock cart owners staged a protest march towards the district collectorate office at Pattukottai, in Tanjore district.

FALL IN NEW COVID CASES

Image credit: Prakash R

With an addition of 1,542 Covid-19 cases, Tamil Nadu continued to report a fall in new infections on August 27. Nevertheless, 17 out of the 39 districts reported an increase in new cases.

The state government has released the SoP ahead of the reopening of schools for senior students from September 1 onwards. The state, which has vaccinated 3.08 crore people so far, said that 90 per cent of the teachers are vaccinated.

AIADMK WALKS OUT AGAIN

AIADMK members, led by the Leader of Opposition, Edapaddi K Palaniswami, again walked out during the Budget Session on August 27. Palaniswami said that the government went ahead with the merger of Dr. J. Jayalalithaa University with Annamalai University despite a request. The Dr. J. Jayalalithaa University Act, 2021, was promulgated by the previous AIADMK regime in February.

Last week too, the AIADMK staged a walkout against probing the Kodanad robbery and murder case.

The Budget session, which commenced on August 13, will continue till September 21.

SLEAZE VIDEO OF LEADER SETBACK FOR BJP

At a time when state’s political parties are preparing for the upcoming local body elections, a sting video allegedly featuring the state BJP’s general secretary KT Raghavan in a sexually explicit chat with a female party worker has triggered a backlash against the party. Raghavan resigned after the video surfaced.

YouTuber Madan Ravichandran claims that he uploaded the video only after consulting with BJP state president K Annamalai, which indicates a possible feud in the party.

A day after Ravichandran released the video, the BJP expelled him and his associate Venba. His YouTube account was also shut. Read more