CHENNAI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has urged the state government to distribute food items required to celebrate Diwali festival through ration shops.

"As Diwali festival is to be celebrated on October 31, the working class could not celebrate happily due to the increasing prices of fundamental items. In Tamil Nadu, ration shops are a lifeline for 2.25 crore families," a resolution passed in the party's state council meeting on Wednesday, said.

The resolution added that the government should provide rice, sugar, maida, gram flour, palm oil, wheat, kerosene, lentils, rava, coriander, jeera, black pepper and others through the PDS shops as a Diwali package.

In another resolution, the left party demanded the government to conduct an investigation into the death of an in the Tiruchy central prison under the supervision of the Madras High Court.

"Investigation into the death should be conducted without any intervention of local police. Honest probe should be conducted and action should be taken against the perpetrators," the party added.