Stop telling lies, end Asha workers strike: Ex MoS Muraleedharan to Vijayan govt

Thiruvananthapuram, March 5 (IANS) Former Union Minister of State and senior BJP leader V. Muraleedharan on Wednesday asked the Pinarayi Vijayan government to “stop telling lies” about not getting Central funds and end the protest by the more than 26,000 Asha workers.

The protest by Asha workers in front of the State Secretariat complex in Thiruvananthapuram, demanding higher honorarium and retirement benefits, entered the 24th day.

“Instead of blaming the Centre by propagating lies that it has not released the full funds under the National Health Mission (NHM) and hence the payment to the hapless Asha Workers who are on a protest has not been paid, the Kerala government should take steps to end the protest,” said Muraleedharan.

“In Parliament, the Centre has informed that the complete tranche of funds marked under the NHM to Kerala has been given. Of the Rs 914.24 crore, Rs 815.73 crore has been paid before January 29 and the balance was cleared on February 12. If this is not true, the CPI-M should give a privilege notice in Parliament,” added Muraleedharan.

“Another narrative floated by the Vijayan government and the Health Minister Veena George is that the Centre stood in the way of utilisation of funds during 2023-24, which is also totally false. The funds were lost because Kerala did not follow the directives of the Centre and the state delayed the branding procedure. It did not submit the utilisation certificate according to the procedure,” said Muraleedharan.

“George should place on record the percentage of NHM funds kept by Kerala for paying the incentives to the Asha workers,” said Muraleedharan.

The Asha workers are demanding an increase in their monthly honorarium from Rs 7,000 to Rs 21,000 plus retirement benefits and pending payments.

On Wednesday, Gomathy, who led a protest of plantation workers in the Idukki district and was able to get most of their demands accepted by then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in 2015, arrived to express her solidarity with the protesting Asha workers and slammed the CPI-M who according to her are known for abusing women protesters.

Hopes were raised that with the four-day CPI-M state party conference beginning at Kollam on Thursday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is yet to meet the protesters, might intervene to settle the ongoing protest, but it did not happen.

–IANS

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