Cheriyan hurls a �hartal stone� at Left

HIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM fellow traveller and KTDC Chairman Cheriyan Philip has come out against the hartal called by the Left parties on April 27. The lone sane voice that came from the Left front against the hartal requested the government and the people to be cautious and not cause any trouble to the tourists on that day.

Whoever conducts hartals and strikes must exempt the tourism sector from it,� Cheriyan Philip said in a statement here on Tuesday.

``Like electricity, water supply, milk and newspaper, tourism should also be treated as an essential service,�� he said.

Cheriyan Philip said he was against the idea of organising hartals for petty causes.