Mangaluru : CITU members held a demonstration here against the Union government and burnt its effigy in protest of its “anti-people” policies in-front of DCO gates on on Tuesday May 26.

The demonstration was organised to coincide with the first anniversary celebrations of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

Hundreds of workers walked in a procession from the CITU office to the Deputy Commissioner’s office here demanding curbs on escalating prices; withdrawing the land acquisition and road transport Bills; payment of Rs. 15,000 minimum wage a month and opposing amendments to labour laws.

Addressing the members, CITU district president J. Balakrishna Shetty said the Union government is portraying that the country will become a super power. On the other hand, many of the promises, including bringing back black money, have remained unfulfilled.

The Union’s city general secretary Sunil Kumar Bajal said the Union government has put the sovereignty of the country at stake.

The government has also failed to pass on the benefits of reduction in crude oil prices to the public and instead has constantly been increasing fuel prices, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, district general secretary Vasanth Achary said the NDA government has made life miserable for the common man. It has been diluting various labour laws that had offered protection to the working class, he said.

Meanwhile, the CITU-backed Federation of Karnataka Autorickshaw Drivers’ Union, Dakshina Kannada district unit, submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, who is also the Chairman of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), to increase fares of autorickshaws. The federation said that the RTA had reduced the minimum fare to Rs. 20 and per km fare to Rs. 13 from Rs. 25 and Rs. 14 earlier. However, owing to protests by autorickshaw operators, the minimum fare was revised to Rs. 13 and per km fare was kept at Rs. 14.

Subsequently, fuel cost has increased substantially with petrol being sold at Rs. 72 a litre. Hence, the RTA should increase the minimum fare to Rs. 25, demanded office bearers Sunil Kumar Bajal, Mohammed Ansar and Krishnappa Gowda in the memorandum.

In Uduspi, the members of the district unit CITU staged a dharna in front of the Clock Tower on Tuesday protesting over the “anti-farmer” and “anti-worker” policies of the NDA government. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Shetty said that there was a massive cut in the funds allocated to anganwadis and midday meal schemes in this year’s Union Budget.

This would affect both the programmes. The government was more interested in encouraging Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) instead of strengthening the public sector units, Mr. Shetty said.