A State-wide hartal called by the BJP in Kerala demanding the resignation of the State Finance Minister KM Mani for alleged acts of bribery passed off peacefully. The dawn-to-dusk hartal saw trade and establishments down shutters, while vehicles mostly kept off roads.

Extra security arrangements were in place in the vulnerable northern districts of Kasaragod, Kannur and Kozhikode, known for frequent political fights between the CPI(M) and the BJP.

The BJP took out protest rallies at all district headquarters, including capital Thiruvananthapuram, where State unit president V Muraleedharan addressed the activists. He issued a stern warning to the Congress-led ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) that seems to have outwardly expressed its confidence in the “errant” Finance Minister.

Muraleedharan said he sees designs by UDF stalwarts to set up various community leaders and prompt them to take suitable positions to shield Mani. The people of Kerala will not allow themselves to fall prey to these nefarious designs, he added.

Tough going Meanwhile, both Mani his party Kerala Congress (M), the second biggest partner in the coalition, are finding the going tough after they ran into opposition from within and without over the bribery charges.

A high-level committee of the UDF is meeting here on Wednesday evening to assess the situation and taking crucial decisions on the future course of action.

Significantly, the Kerala Congress (M) has also announced that it will go into a huddle tomorrow. This meeting is likely to happen later in the night.

These developments have suddenly made the position of the government look vulnerable, given that it survives by the skin of the teeth in terms of the slender majority it commands in the Assembly.

There is apparent disquiet both within the ruling front and within the Kerala Congress (M) over the efficacy of Mani being allowed to present a record-breaking 13{+t}{+h} State budget.

Already, an influential leader of the ruling front has gone on air suggesting that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, a former finance minister himself, may present the budget this time round. It is this apparent crisis of confidence that emboldened the BJP, which has long been trying to establish its presence in the State, to call for a hartal and demand the resignation of Mani.

Local body polls The fact that Kerala is preparing for elections to the local-self government bodies later this year would not also have been entirely lost on it.

BJP president Amit Shah has directed workers to focus on the local body elections and win as many seats as possible. Assembly elections are due in the State next year.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW