ASHA workers' protest draws wide support in Kannur
The ongoing day-and-night protest march by ASHA workers received wide support as it entered Kannur district on Wednesday, with prominent political and social figures expressing solidarity with them.
The march, which began in Kasaragod on Monday (May 5, 2025), is organised by the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association (KAHWA) to press its long-standing demands for better pay and working conditions.
Inaugurating the district leg of the protest at Payyannur, poet Madhavan Purachery came down on the State government for 'adopting a neo-liberal and corporate-friendly approach while ignoring people's movements.' He urged the government to build consensus and listen to ASHA workers' demands.
The protest march was ceremonially received at the Payyannur new bus stand by anti-K-Rail activists P. Padmini and Yashodamma, who garlanded march captain M.A. Bindu. The march later proceeded to Perumba.
Voicing support at various receptions were leaders across political and social spectrums, including the Indian Union Muslim League's V.K.P. Ismail, District Congress Committee general secretary Lalitha Teacher, CMP's B. Sajith Lal, and CPI(ML) Red Star's Vinod Kumar Ramanthali, among others. The events also saw the participation of representatives of women's organisations, trade unions, and environmental groups.
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This wasn't opposition; it was a gut-punch to the jawans who neutralised over 100 terrorists. On May 23, Gandhi escalated his assault, declaring India's foreign policy a 'wreck" and whining, 'Why didn't a single country back India against Pakistan after Pahalgam? Why are we hyphenated with Pakistan? Who invited Trump to 'mediate'?" This wasn't just a dig at Jaishankar; it was a deliberate attempt to equate India with a failing state, a narrative India has fought tooth and nail to reject. His Trump jab handed Pakistan's DG ISPR a golden opportunity to mock India's global clout. BJP's Gaurav Bhatia called it 'sinister," accusing Gandhi of sapping the morale of India's forces. And he's not wrong—Gandhi's words don't just sting; they embolden enemies. In April 2025, while pandering to the Indian diaspora in Boston, Gandhi smeared the Election Commission, claiming it was 'bought and sold" and alleging 65 lakh voters were added to Maharashtra's rolls in two hours—a logistical absurdity. 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Even Congress's Pawan Khera, scrambling to defend him, could only muster that criticising the BJP isn't criticising India—a weak dodge for a damning act. At Georgetown University in 2024, Gandhi pushed for a caste census, saying, 'Reservations will go when India is fair, and India is nowhere near fair." This painted India as a cesspool of discrimination, conveniently ignoring similar divides in the US. His meeting with Ilhan Omar, a US lawmaker notorious for anti-India resolutions, drew fire from BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi, who called it a 'dangerous liaison" with India's foes. In 2023, at Cambridge University, Gandhi wailed that Indian democracy was 'under siege," claiming the judiciary, press, and Parliament were gagged. 'The framework of democracy—Parliament, free press, judiciary—is being choked," he said, practically begging for Western intervention by calling India's democracy a 'global public good". 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But when Pakistani media celebrates his rants, and when Congress stalwarts like Tharoor and Khera tiptoe away from his recklessness, the truth is undeniable: Gandhi's words arm India's enemies. His 2010 remark to a US ambassador, per WikiLeaks, calling 'Hindutva" a bigger threat than terrorism, set the stage for his anti-India crusade. His 2023 claim that Modi dismissed 70 years of progress was a lie he himself contradicted in London, claiming he never defames India—yet his actions scream otherwise. His 2025 X post alleging Modi brokered a China-Pakistan alliance ignores India's strategic calculus, fuelling anti-India narratives. The nation demands Rahul Gandhi's open letter addressing his compulsions and reasons for not going opting, in fact, evading a delegation addressing and exposing Pakistan's terror factory. Was it the 2008 China MoU that crippled him? Yuvraj Pokharna is an independent journalist and columnist. He tweets with @iyuvrajpokharna. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. About the Author Yuvraj Pokharna Yuvraj Pokharna is a Surat-based author and media panelist who vociferously voices his opinions on issues of Hindutva, Islamist Jihad, politics, policies, and sometimes mules over books. He can be followed on More tags : Operation Sindoor Pahalgam attack Rahul Gandhi Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 07, 2025, 16:16 IST News opinion Write Mind | Rahul Gandhi, The Self-Anointed 'Leader Of Pakistan'
