Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: The honorarium being provided to ASHA workers is the ‘magnanimity’ of the state government, says PP Prema, General Secretary of the ASHA Workers Federation, an organization affiliated with the CITU.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Prema stated that the salary should be provided by the central government, and that the protest should be directed against the central government, not in front of the Secretariat.

This statement is interpreted as reflecting the official stance of CITU, the largest trade union outfit in the state, which is affiliated with the CPM. It is also said that the CPM has been attempting to undermine the ASHA workers' agitation, claiming that it is politically motivated and that the agitators do not have the support of the majority of ASHA workers.

On Monday, CPM central committee member and CITU leader Elamaram Kareem had said that protesting agitators lack the support of the majority of ASHA workers in the state and the strike is politically motivated. 

For the past two weeks, ASHA workers have been protesting in front of the Secretariat. Despite several discussions with the Health Minister, their demands have not been met. Recently, the Finance Department sanctioned a two-month honorarium. However, only about half of the workers have received the amount. ASHA workers claim that the honorarium, initially set at Rs 7,000, has been reduced to between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 for many.

While those receiving lakhs in salary and other benefits every month continue to receive large amounts repeatedly, there is strong criticism of the government's indifference toward the ASHA workers. CPI leader KK Sivaraman has termed the government’s stance towards the strike as ‘quite unbecoming of a left government.’