THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The United Democratic Front(UDF) has urged the public to switch off lights for three minutes on Wednesday at 9 pm as a protest against the steep hike in electric charges in the state. The leadership has also asked people to sign an online campaign to mark their protest.

"We can’t allow the government to get away with its anti-people decisions either. Switching off lights for three minutes on June 17 at 9 pm gives an opportunity for them to register their protest,” opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said. “Many of them have lost jobs and are struggling to feed their families. There is no justification in hiking when people are in the midst of a deep crisis. This tantamount to robbing the hapless,” he added.