<p>All arterial roads, including national and state highways from Manjeswarm to Parasala on Saturday turned into a “social kitchen” with nearly 1.2 million people setting up hearths on road margins and cooking various dishes in protest against the cap on subsidised cooking gas cylinders to six.<br /><br />The “fire chain’ agitation called by the CPM was inaugurated by party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan by lighting a hearth at Thiruvananthapruam. The party said that this symbolic protest is a strong warning against the Manmohan Singh government.<br /><br />The protest began at 4 pm and ended at 5.30 pm. Part of the food prepared was offered to motorists and passersby; and the rest savoured by agitators.<br /><br />Almost all “desi” food from boiled tapioca to kanji (rice gruel) to idli, dosa, appam to puttu were cooked. Party workers and leaders, including Pinarayi and Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan, politburo members Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and M A Baby, senior leaders and former ministers turned up for the culinary protest with their families.<br /><br />Several leaders took the lead role in cooking, while a few others helped their spouses and children.<br /><br />The protest was followed by public meetings.<br /></p>
<p>All arterial roads, including national and state highways from Manjeswarm to Parasala on Saturday turned into a “social kitchen” with nearly 1.2 million people setting up hearths on road margins and cooking various dishes in protest against the cap on subsidised cooking gas cylinders to six.<br /><br />The “fire chain’ agitation called by the CPM was inaugurated by party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan by lighting a hearth at Thiruvananthapruam. The party said that this symbolic protest is a strong warning against the Manmohan Singh government.<br /><br />The protest began at 4 pm and ended at 5.30 pm. Part of the food prepared was offered to motorists and passersby; and the rest savoured by agitators.<br /><br />Almost all “desi” food from boiled tapioca to kanji (rice gruel) to idli, dosa, appam to puttu were cooked. Party workers and leaders, including Pinarayi and Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan, politburo members Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and M A Baby, senior leaders and former ministers turned up for the culinary protest with their families.<br /><br />Several leaders took the lead role in cooking, while a few others helped their spouses and children.<br /><br />The protest was followed by public meetings.<br /></p>
