Lucknow: The ‘Bharat Bandh’ called by Congress party had little impact on normal life in Uttar Pradesh Monday, as per district-wise reports till afternoon.
Amidst heavy band boast by the state government, most commercial establishments operated as usual. Offices, schools and colleges operated as per the regular schedule and vehicular traffic moved as usual in main towns of the state.
To prevent untoward incidents, heavy police deployment was ensured at key places, especially petrol pumps, a senior police officer said.
The nation-wide bandh has been called by the Congress over rising fuel prices and depreciation of the rupee.
Most opposition parties on Sunday expressed support to the Bharat Bandh called by the Congress and Left Front over rising fuel prices in a showdown with the Modi government that has evaded a direct explanation to the non-stop rise in fuel prices.
While parties like the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), Samajwadi Party (SP), DMK, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Maharshtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) backed the shutdown, the Left has also declared a nationwide hartal.
No effect of ‘Bharat Bandh’ on Uttar Pradesh over price rise called by Congress:
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), a non-NDA party, said although it was against the fuel price hike, it would not support the Bandh. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took a similar stand in Delhi.
The Congress wants petrol and diesel to be brought under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which would decrease the price “by Rs 15-18 per litre”. It also wants an immediate reduction in central excise duty and “excessive VAT” in states.
Congress leader Ajay Maken on Sunday said that close to “20 political parties” were taking part in the protest.
He said the Centre had earned Rs 11 lakh crore in the last four years through excise duty on fuel and this money was taken from the common man to fill the government’s coffers.
Issuing a joint statement on Friday, five Left parties including the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation, RSP and Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) accused the Modi government of creating an economic crisis in the country while failing to stand by its electoral promise of recovering black money and creating employment.
Left Front Chairman Biman Bose called for a 12-hour strike from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday across West Bengal in support of the all India “protest hartal” and urged people in the state to make the protest a grand success.
