ASHA workers furious over Kareem's remarks, say want to live with dignity

Thiruvananthapuram: Asha workers, who have been protesting for a wage hike in front of the state secretariat, expressed their anger over remarks made by CPM Central Committee member Elamaram Kareem in an article published in the CPM mouthpiece on Monday. In his article, Kareem claimed that the Asha workers' agitation was being instigated by anarchist organisations.

Feeling humiliated by the senior CPM leader’s comments, the Asha workers have come out in the open, saying that they are acting independently and are unaware of the anarchist groups Kareem referred to.

The workers emphasised that their protest is solely to demand fair wages for their labor, along with benefits such as pensions and other allowances when they retire. They insist that they want to live with dignity. They also expressed how hurtful it is to be belittled in this manner, especially by someone who claims to represent the working class.

“There are no political party flags in our protest tent. We don’t understand how such an allegation surfaced. Every participant in the protest has their own political affiliation, including Congress and CPM members. We stand united, beyond party politics, caste, and religion and we do not consider the colour of the flag. Asha workers don’t check which political party someone belongs to when we visit homes as part of our duties. The relationship between Asha workers and the people is truly remarkable,” said one of the Asha workers.

“We work as a fundamental unit in the healthcare sector, and our bond with the people is strong. Politics never interferes with our work. The Chief Minister should have intervened in this matter by now, but unfortunately, he has not. The CM often talks about a renaissance in Kerala, but our struggle has not received his attention. We don’t understand why the Chief Minister has not intervened,” they added.

The Asha workers' strike, which began with several demands, has now been ongoing for 15 days.