“Kerala: Kudumbashree women entrepreneurs face wrath of CPM over newspaper subscription dispute”, Organiser, May 23, 2024:

“In Malayalappuzha, Pathanamthitta district, a group of women entrepreneurs running a Kudumbashree restaurant have raised allegations against local CPM leaders. The women claim they were pressured to subscribe to multiple copies of Deshabhimani, the Malayalam daily affiliated with the CPM, and upon refusal, were threatened with eviction from their shop premises.

The six women, who have successfully operated their restaurant for the past decade, reported that they have consistently purchased a single copy of Deshabhimani. However, according to their statements, CPM leaders recently demanded that they increase their subscription to five copies, a cost they found unaffordable.

The shoproom belonged to the District Tourism Promotion Council ((DTPC), a Government organisation. The DTPC then leased the space to others. The women entrepreneurs alleged that the DTPC’s action was politically motivated……”

Read the full article at Organiser.org