Kottayam: Kerala Congress (M) leader K M
Mani has said the party will boycott the ongoing census
exercise if coconut, rubber, arecanut and tea were not
included in the ambit of agriculture in the census category.
As per the existing census category persons working
in the cash crops sector were not considered farmers. This
will deny them the benefits of agriculture specific centrally
sponsored schemes and other welfare measures, Mani told
newspersons here.
He said "if this anomaly is not corrected immediately
we will be forced to boycott the exercise".
The party will stage a dharna in front of the General
Post Office in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday as a mark of
protest against failure of union government to correct the
anomaly.
Mani said the party will ask UDF leadership to allot
due share of seats commensurate with the strength of the
unified party to contest in the coming assembly elections.
"The strengthening of Kerala Congress has infact strengthened
the UDF as a whole", the leader said.
PTI
