Thiruvananthapuram:
Opposition CPI-M led Left Democratic Front in Kerala on Wednesday gave a call for dawn-to-dusk strike in the state on Thursday to protest the steepest ever increase in petrol price.
"This (the price hike) is a cruel blow on the people of the country who were already reeling under the pressure of steep price rise," LDF convenor Vaikom Viswan said in a statement in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday night.
He urged all sections of the society to support the protest.
In a separate statement, the BJP also called a strike in the state on Thursday protesting the Rs 7.5 per litre hike announced by the oil companies.
Essential services like milk supply, media and hospitals would be exempted from the strike.