The Bharat Bandh called by Opposition parties over the fuel price hike was total in Kerala with transport services staying off the roads, establishments downing shutters and government offices becoming dysfunctional.
Rebuffing criticism from the opposition, the chief minister and senior CPI(M) leader, Mr V.S. Achuthanandan, said his party had no guilt in imposing two hartals on the people of the state in 10 days. “In fact, we should be proud of conducting a peaceful hartal in protest against fuel price hike,” he said in the Assembly.
At the same time, the opposition leader, Mr Oommen Chandy, said the joint hartal was anti-people and was evidence of a newfound alliance between the CPI(M) and the BJP at the national level. The opposition walked out of the Assembly protesting against the harassment of the people.Schools across the state had declared holiday in advance and attendance in government offices, including the secretariat, was thin. Though private vehicles were seen on the roads, both KSRTC and private transport buses stayed away. Kozhikode was paralysed by the hartal while left democratic front activists blocked roads in Kochi.