A woman forces Left to back off in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 13 (IANS) A middle aged home-maker, who forced Left protestors to make way, Friday became the rallying point of her neighbours who are fed up of a blockade outside the official residence of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

Sandhya took on the Left protestors Thursday after she found herself surrounded and unable to go home.

Friday morning, following her protest a day before, she got support from her neighbours who took to the streets in large numbers, demanding that they should have the right of way.

Left leaders, sensing trouble, decided to allow them to move around.

The Left protestors drew the wrath of the locals after they began a 140-day blockade of the official residence of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. They demanded that he order a judicial probe by a sitting judge into the solar panel scam and also step down.

The solar panel scam has been making headlines in Kerala since June 3 when a couple allegedly defrauded people by offering solar energy solutions at huge discounts and lured people into investing in their enterprise by citing acquaintance with people in high office in the state government.

Left workers Monday congregated in huge numbers and for about an hour they stayed there, till police removed them.

All the roads leading to the place are blocked, leaving the locals and students of two schools in the locality stranded.

"We are not against the protestors or their reason to protest. That's their issue. But we cannot suffer like this as 500 families who live around the area are living a life of hell, unable to move out from our homes in the morning. This is not acceptable and we decided to take to the streets," said office-bearers of the Arunya Resident's Association.

CPI-M legislator V.Sivankutty, who is leading the protestors at the CM's house, said: "We have decided to leave space for free movement of two wheelers and four-wheelers. We will not block the residents."

Sandhya has been lauded for her single-handed effort. More than a lakh of people have applauded her efforts on social media.

Leading Kerala based industrialist Kochuouseph Chitillapally announced a reward of Rs.5 lakh to Sandhya.

Last year, he took on the Left trade unions for obstructing unloading of materials at his factory at Kochi, even when he had his own workers.

Unable to stand it, he himself unloaded the boxes from the van.

CPI-M state secretariat member A. Anandan, however, called Sandhya an aide of Chandy.

"Only those with a Congress mind can undertake the type of protest that the lady did," said Anandan.

Just as the unions have a fundamental right to protest, the citizens who are not part of the unions have a fundamental right to free movement.

Politicians don't seem to understand that and repeatedly call strikes and bandhs which inconvenience the general public in spite of these being declared illegal by the courts of the land.

The general public is becoming restless at the black-mailing of these corrupt political parties.

One of the results is there for all to see, the AAP.