Thiruvananthapuram, March 20
Three of the agitating Asha workers launched an indefinite fast on Thursday as their protest in front of the state Secretariat entered its 39th day.

Asha workers, who have been staying put before the Secretariat, are demanding a hike in their monthly honorarium from Rs 7,000 to Rs 21,000, along with retirement benefits of a lump sum payment of Rs 5 lakh when they retire at the age of 62.

On Wednesday, there were hopes of a solution emerging with two separate rounds of conciliation talks being held - first with the National Health Mission Director and later, state Health Minister Veena George. However, both meetings failed to resolve the stalemate.

George had said she was travelling to Delhi to meet Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda to take up the issue of the protesting workers.

But though she arrived in Delhi on Thursday, it has now surfaced that she dashed to the national capital to meet a high-level Cuban delegation to discuss health projects which the Kerala government is in talks with the Cuban government after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan visited the Caribbean island nation last year.

"I am trying to get an appointment with the Union Health Minister but with the Parliament in session, if I am unable to meet him, I will return. The Cuban delegation is in Delhi and Kerala is cooperating with them in big projects," George said.

Reacting to this, angry Asha workers lost their cool and slammed George for telling lies to them at her meeting with the protesters on Wednesday.

"We could sense during the meeting with her, that she is not interested in resolving our issues. Now it’s very clear that the reason why she left for Delhi is to meet the Cuban delegation and not to discuss our issues. She is a liar," a protester said.

Another worker said that they were "really ashamed of George as it was very clear that the government is not interested in resolving our burning issues".

The protest issue surfaced in the Kerala Assembly on Thursday with the opposition staging a walkout to protest the callous attitude of the Pinarayi Vijayan government towards these hapless workers.

Deputising for George, state Industries Minister P. Rajeeve claimed that the ongoing protest is a needless one, backed by vested interests and the state government has already made its views very clear.

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Kerala Health Minister's Delhi trip a bluff, say Asha workers; launch indefinite fast