Kerala Govt expresses readiness to hold talks on hartal

The LDF Government in Kerala today expressed readiness to hold talks with all political parties on a draft bill to regulate hartals and bandhs in the state, which witnesses frequent shutdowns.

The LDF Government in Kerala on Friday expressed readiness to hold talks with all political parties on a draft bill to regulate hartals and bandhs in the state, which witnesses frequent shutdowns.

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Law Minister M Vijayakumar said this in the Assembly while replying to a submission regarding the need to pass a bill regulating hartal and bandh proposed by the State Law Reform Commission headed by eminent jurist VR Krishna Iyer.

The government could not take any unilateral decision on the issue as it involved not only issue concerned with law but also social aspect, he said, adding a stand would be taken after talks with political parties.

All the 104 draft bills, including the one for regulating hartal, submitted by the Commission were now being examined by a Cabinet sub-committee, the minister said.

Raising the issue, Joseph M Puthussery (KC-M) wanted the government to take steps to implement the legislation mooted by the commission considering the hardship caused to people due to frequent hartals in the state.

Recently, Kerala witnessed two hartals in the span of ten days on the issue of hike in fuel prices.