On Monday, several areas were hit by local hartals called by either the CPI(M) or the BJP. The CPI (M) hartals covered the Chunakkara, Vallikunnam, Thamarakkulam, Palamel and Nooranadu panchayats in Alappuzha district, besides Pandalam and Adoor in Pathanamthitta. The BJP too had given a call for a hartal in Palamel and Noornad. Eight local level hartals were observed in the State, with the CPI(M) sponsoring six and the BJP-RSS two. The ninth hartal will be staged in Idukki on Tuesday by the BJP.

The current rounds of hartals stem from clashes and retaliations involving the two parties in these areas. The “competition” during the Sri Krishna Jayanti celebrations, when their respective children’s outfits took out processions, only added to the simmering tensions. This is although the CPI(M), which had its own elaborate do on Sri Krishna Jayanti day mixing Karl Marx and Krishna, claimed later that it was just a part of its extended Onam celebrations.

There are more in the offing. The BJP has already given a hartal call in Idukki district for Tuesday in protest against the alleged attack on party workers during a strike by tea estate workers demanding a higher bonus. The CITU and the AITU are dominant forces in Kerala’s tea estates but the BJP has also been supporting Tamil groups such as the Viduthalai Chiruthakal in its bid to shake the traditional hold of these unions. Clashes and retaliations have become routine there.