Thiruvananthapuram: On the 50th day of their indefinite strike, ASHA workers demonstrated their anger against the LDF government's apathy through self-sacrifice.

The women agitating before the Secretariat sat with tears in their eyes as their long locks were taken to the scissors and finally shaven off close to their skull using electric trimmers. Some were even seen cutting their hair on their own. These emotionally charged moments were intensified by high-pitched sloganeering by scores of women who swarmed the northern perimeter of the Secretariat in solidarity with the agitating ASHAs.

These women then held the trimmings, the hair cut from the pate of ASHAs, in their hands like a kind of totem of great spiritual significance and launched an impromptu march around the Secretariat.

Padmajam, an ASHA worker from Thiruvallam who tonsured her head, broke down, her face cupped in arms. "It's like ripping apart a piece of our heart. At least this could open the eyes of those in power. How are we supposed to live like this?," she said as other struggled to console her in an emotionally charged air. The workers who began the strike on February 10 have endured rain, heat and snubs from politicians as they egged themselves on, sleeping on the footpath and getting ready for protests in the morning. 

Many of these women told the gathered media that their tonsured heads were just an indication of their desperation and pleaded with the government to not push them into further misery. "We are not sure what we will do next," one of the ASHAs who had her hair shaved off told reporters, her voice cracking.

"Please don't keep us here for more days," another ASHA who had her hair cut said. "Send us back home, let us also live. But if the government cannot increase even the Rs 232 they give us how can they expect us to go back. Please don't push us to inflict more harm on us. We can't go on like this," she said. 

ASHA workers under Kerala ASHA Health Workers' Association (KAHWA) began strike in front of the Secretariat on February 10 raising two major demands. One, an increase in their monthly honorarium from Rs 7000 (which is Rs 232 a day) to Rs 21,000 (Rs 700 a day). And two, a retirement benefit of Rs 5 lakh. 

Though the government had invited ASHA workers to talks twice, it had never shown any inclination to consider their major demands. This was ironical as the LDF manifesto had stated that the honorarium of ASHAs would be increased to Rs 700 a day.

The government's argument for refusing to honour its own commitment is that the agitation is a right-wing conspiracy. The ministers have repeatedly stated that it was dubious that the agitators were not uttering a word against the Centre when it has still not transferred the money meant to pay the incentives of ASHA. And on March 21, minister for local bodies M B Rajesh told the Assembly that there was nothing more that the government could do for ASHA workers. 

But attempts to undermine the agitation had begun right from the moment the protest began in the second half of February. Top CPM leaders and CITU leaders had used foul and insensitive remarks to ridicule the agitation and its leaders. The absence of CITU at the forefront of the agitation is cited as one of the reasons why the LDF government is against the agitation. It is also a fact that trade unions of all major parties - INTUC (Congress), AITUC (CPI), Swathanthra Thozhilali Union (Muslim League) - have turned their back on the agitation. This has also allowed the government to ignore the protest.