(MENAFN- Gulf Times) A state-wide dawn-to-dusk shutdown called by the Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kerala against the 'anti-people policies of the state and central governments paralysed life yesterday.
Shops remained closed and private buses did not operate. Although the state-owned public transport operated under police security and private vehicles were also seen plying, business establishments were closed in major towns and cities.
The shutdown was called to protest the 'anti-people policies of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's government in Kerala and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government at the national level.
The shutdown was also against the steep hike in prices of petroleum products and cooking gas.
UDF chairman and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said earlier in the day the strike would be held in a peaceful manner.
No major trouble was reported from anywhere in the state. Some protesters tried to create problems and were taken into custody.
In the state capital, buses on the Tamil Nadu route did not face any problem. Auto-rickshaws were also seen on the roads.
The buses of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) units were seen operating under security cover.
Although the IT hubs in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram were functioning, the markets wore a deserted look.
Attendance in government offices, like during the previous shutdowns, was thin.
Police in major cities were providing transport facilities especially to patients who arrived at the railway and bus stations.
The Kerala government has warned that tough actions would be taken against trouble makers.
In other developments, Vijayan dismissed allegations of vendetta in ordering a case against his predecessor Oommen Chandy, and rejected the demand for making public the report of the Justice G Sivarajan Commission in the solar scam.
He said the report will be tabled in the state assembly at the appropriate time.
'Now, we will submit the commission report along with the action taken report in the assembly the next time it meets. It has to be tabled within six months. If we do anything else, that will be illegal. We haven't taken any partisan decision in this subject. According to law, what a government has to do, we have done only that. The timing (of tabling the report) hasn't been decided, Vijayan said.
Rejecting the charge of vendetta as has been alleged by the Congress, Vijayan said the Sivarajan Commission was set up under the Commissions of Inquiry Act by the government under Chandy. 'This government didn't appoint the commission, the previous UDF government had set it up. We had to agitate a lot (when in opposition) to set up the commission, he said.
The chief minister said there was evidence before the commission and it submitted the report. According to the Commissions of Inquiry Act, the government can take two decisions on the commission report. 'First, submit the whole report to the assembly or we can take action on the report and submit the action taken report to the assembly.
'Since it was a very controversial case and it was a four-volume report, we sought legal opinion from the Advocate General and Director General of Prosecution, and according to their advice, we took actions. Now, we will submit the commission report along with the action taken report in the assembly the next time it meets. It has to be tabled within six months, he said.
The solar scam made headlines over four years ago with the arrest of Saritha Nair and her partner Biju Radhakrishnan, who had allegedly conned businessmen by floating their high-level connections including with Chandy, who was then the chief minister.
The probe decision was announced by Vijayan after the weekly cabinet meeting last week, based on the recommendations of the Solar Scam Commission report submitted by Sivarajan in September.
A Special Investigation Team led by Director General of Police Rajesh Diwan has been set up to investigate the cases.
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