Thiruvananthapuram,  Senior Kerala political leader C.P. John on Tuesday said that he will go on a 24-hour hunger strike from Wednesday to demand the setting up of a Covid Disaster Management Commission.

John belongs to the CMP, whose party is an ally of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).

"I am undertaking a 24 hour hunger strike in front of our party office here and this is basically done to open the eyes of the Centre as we demand the setting up of a Commission and also sanction a sum of Rs one million to all those who lost the breadwinner in their family.

"The setting up of the Commission will be helpful to ensure that there are standard protocols laid down to make the necessary assessments of the pandemic," said John.

In Kerala alone the pandemic has claimed over 12,000 lives .