Normal life was hit across Kerala after the BJP called for a dawn-to-dusk strike on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Finance Minister K M Mani, who is facing bribery charges in the bar licence controversy. The BJP took out rallies in all assembly constituencies demanding his resignation. Although no violent incident was reported from any corner of the state, functioning of offices and vehicular movement were affected. Work at IT parks and construction of Kochi metro were reportedly disrupted due to the strike, while passengers travelling in long-distance trains got stranded at railway stations for want of conveyance. With Tuesday’s strike, Pala in Kottayam — home town and constituency of Mani — saw the third strike in the past five days. Meanwhile, the prominent upper class Hindu Nair outfit, Nair Service Society, has extended support to Mani, a Catholic politician. It said Mani was a friend of his community and need not quit.
