Kerala opposition leader Oomen Chandy on Tuesday said that he has cancelled his proposed trip to Australia and Singapore as his party will intensify protests for the withdrawal of a controversial Class 7 social science textbook.

"The trip has been cancelled as the agitation against the Left government will be intensified at all levels," Chandy told IANS.

The Congress leader was scheduled to attend the inaugural ceremony of the sixth World Malayalee Conference in Singapore August 22. He was then to head to Melbourne to take part in a meet organised by a newly-floated Malayali organisation there.

The Congress Party in the state has launched an agitation against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, demanding the withdrawal of the controversial textbook that they claim tries to inject communist ideology among students.

Many religious groups have also been protesting against the book, saying that it propagated atheism. The book was introduced this year by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led government.

Chandy had earlier invited criticism from a section of his party when he travelled to the Middle East at a time the Congress had launched an agitation against the Left government.