Malappuram: The UDF also likes football. Therefore, it has rescheduled its proposed hartal on October 13 to 16 in view of the FIFA Under -17 World Cup football matches in Kochi.
Initially, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala announced here that the UDF would observe a statewide hartal on October 13 against the anti-people policies of the state and central governments. However, after widespread protests from football fans, he changed the date to October 16.
The hartal will be held from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. “The UDF was forced to take this decision as the governments had put the people to unbearable tests,” Mr Chennithala said.
“The prices of goods, particularly of fuel, have touched an all-time high under the BJP and LDF governments. The law and order situation in the state has plunged to a new low. The governments have also messed up the GST forcing the people to suffer,” he said.
Earlier, he told reporters that BJP president Amit Shah and his team were trying to divide the people of Kerala for political gain. But they would defeat the communal agenda of the BJP, he said.
“The yatra is meant not to save Kerala but to save BJP leaders from a host of scams. Amit Shah should realise that the people of Kerala are different from those of Gujarat and that the party cannot grow here by dividing them," he said.
