Shutdown hits life in many Kerala towns (Lead)

Thiruvananthapuram : The statewide shutdown called by Kerala's ruling Left and the Congress-led opposition to protest rising fuel prices affected normal life at many places on Monday.

While public vehicles remained off the roads in the state, private vehicles were seen plying at many places, but shops, markets and establishments remained shut.

"This is a protest against the wrong policies of Prime Minister Modi which has led to the rupee reaching record lows. Under Modi, the country has reached a low," said leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala while participating in his party's protest in Kochi.

Chennithala arrived at the protest venue on a bullock cart and after taking part in the protest, got on to a two-wheeler to reach the engagement function of his elder son.

Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy decided to walk around 4km from his home in the state capital to the legislators hostel.

"The protest has been a huge success as 21 parties came together. This is just the beginning as more parties will join the protest against the anti-people and fascist policies of the BJP-led government," said Chandy.

At Alappuzha, Congress Lok Sabha MP and party's working committee member K.C. Venugopal pulled a lorry tied to a rope along with his party workers.

"This is the first nationwide shutdown called by the Congress," said Venugopal.

Near Kollam, Shahida Kamal, a member of the Kerala State Women's Commission, was at the receiving end when her official car was smashed by the protesting Congress workers while she was on her way to start preliminary probe into the death of a nun.

"I was roughed up by Congress workers who almost plucked my hair," said Kamal lying in a hospital bed.

Kamal had contested the 2009 Lok Sabha and 2011 assembly polls on a Congress ticket but dumped the party in 2016 to join the CPI-M.

In the state capital, the IT campus at Technopark functioned normal and the ISRO units worked as usual.

There was a complete shutdown in Kasargode, the town that shares border with Karnataka. Interstate buses kept off the roads.

While Congress workers were out on the streets, ruling Left supporters stressed that relief operations in flood-affected areas would go on unaffected.