Satheesan calls for rethink on bandhs

Kozhikode: Opposition leader V D Satheesan on Thursday called for a public debate on the practice of enforcing nationwide strikes as hartals or bandhs in Kerala. During UDF's Puthu Yuga Yatra, Satheesan said he respected the reasons behind the nationwide strike and that Congress has extended its backing at the national level. "The question is whether it is appropriate today to convert a nationwide strike into a hartal or bandh," he said. "Is there any other state where a strike is enforced like a hartal or bandh? The question of whether it is right to convert a strike into a shutdown that paralyses daily life should be discussed publicly. Let people decide whether such practices have become outdated. It is only in Kerala that almost every national strike turns into a bandh or hartal. Some old practices need to change," he said. Satheesan said that even when CPM was in power in West Bengal and Tripura, strikes were not enforced as hartals. He added that Congress would use its statewide yatra to explain the issues that led to the strike, including concerns related to the labour codes, as public awareness about the reasons for the protest remained limited. Responding to reports of internal differences within Congress over the conduct of the yatra, said certain media outlets had exaggerated minor developments and published inaccurate accounts.The opposition leader also criticised CPM state secretary M V Govindan's recent remarks that poverty would disappear from Kerala if LDF returned to power, saying such claims were far removed from ground realities.