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This Article is From Sep 11, 2018

Bharat Bandh LIVE Updates: People “Indifferent” To Bandh, They Understand, Says Government

Bharat Bandh: The Congress said 21 opposition parties are supporting the Bharat Bandh along with a number of chambers of commerce and traders' associations.

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Bharat Bandh: Jan Adhikar Party supporters vandalise vehicles against fuel price hike in Patna (PTI)

New Delhi:

Leaders of various opposition parties led by Congress president Rahul Gandhi kickstarted the country-wide protest against rising fuel prices from Rajghat as part of the 'Bharat Bandh' call given by the party. Congress leader Randeep Surjewala had said that the common man was bearing the burden of escalating prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas.

The Congress said 21 opposition parties are supporting the Bharat Bandh along with a number of chambers of commerce and traders' associations.

The party demanded that petrol and diesel should be brought under GST, by which oil prices could drop by about Rs 15 to Rs 18.

Schools and colleges in Bengaluru in Karnataka, where the Congress shares power with JD(S), will be closed today and daily life will likely be affected. A host of organisations such as Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, KSRTC, BMTC, Ola and Uber Drivers and Owners Association, Auto Drivers' Association will lend their support to the Bharat Bandh in Karnataka.

In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress said that while it supported the issues related to increasing fuel prices, it would not support the Bharat Bandh called by the Congress. The reason, it said, was that strikes like the Bharat Bandh would lead to a waste of working hours. Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee had urged the Trinamool activists and common people to keep shops and establishments functional today.

In Odisha, the ruling BJD has also refused to support the Bharat Bandh called by the Congress. Toeing the Trinamool line, it also said that it was against the hike in fuel prices. The Odisha government has however, announced that all schools in the state would be closed today to ensure the safety of students.

Here are the LIVE Updates from the Bharat Bandh over rising fuel prices:

Sep 10, 2018 21:02 (IST)
Three buses of a private school in Pune were stoned and damaged on Monday during the 'Bharat Bandh' called by the Congress and various other opposition parties, school management and police said. No one was injured.
Sep 10, 2018 20:09 (IST)
BJP workers and members distributed sweets among shopkeepers who opened their shops and drivers who drove their vehicles even amid the bandh call in Howrah

Sep 10, 2018 19:41 (IST)
"Momentary Difficulty... People Understand": Government On Fuel Price Hike
Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today declared that the Congress-led Bharat Bandh has been a flop, because the people the people "understand" that the price rise is beyond the government's control. The people, he said, were "indifferent" to the nationwide shutdown, because "they understand the rise in fuel prices, though temporary, is because of factors beyond the control of the Indian government"
Sep 10, 2018 19:26 (IST)
Sep 10, 2018 19:05 (IST)
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress on Monday staged a protest in Srinagar, as part of the party's call for 'Bharat Bandh' against rising fuel prices. The call did not affect normal life in Kashmir 

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Sep 10, 2018 18:57 (IST)
Traffic Normal, Offices Open Amid Bharat Bandh Call In West Bengal
The nationwide strike called by the Congress and the Left Front remained largely ineffective in West Bengal on Monday. Traffic was near normal and all offices were open." 
Sep 10, 2018 18:13 (IST)
Shiv Sena lawmaker Sanjay Raut on Monday dismissed talks of senior BJP leaders asking his party to stay away from the nationwide bandh called by the Congress to protest the rising prices of fuel.

Mr Raut asserted it was the Shiv Sena's own decision to not take part in the "Bharat Bandh" and its stand had nothing to do with the BJP.

"No BJP leader has asked the Shiv Sena to stay away from the bandh. It's our own decision," he said.

Sep 10, 2018 17:34 (IST)
Sep 10, 2018 17:33 (IST)
A quick roundup of the Bandh situation in various places 

Delhi: Normal life remained unaffected with offices, schools and colleges opening at their regular time and vehicles plying on roads despite a bandh call given by the Congress and protests staged by it across the national capital against the steep hike in petrol and diesel prices.

Uttar Pradesh: Amidst tight security by the state government, commercial establishments, offices, schools and colleges operated as per their regular schedule and vehicular traffic in main towns and cities of the state remained unaffected by the bandh.

Punjab/Haryana: There was no report of any untoward incident from any place as sufficient security arrangements were made by the police to maintain law and order, officials said.

Gujarat: It evoked a mixed response with the party calling the shutdown successful while the police claimed it had no major impact. Police said over 300 Congress functionaries were detained across the state, including state party chief Amit Chavda and Gujarat party in charge Rajiv Satav from Lal Darwaja area here.

Maharashtra: Workers from several political parties, including the Congress and the MNS, briefly disrupted transport services by stopping suburban trains and metro rail at various places in Mumbai. Nearly 100 Congress leaders and workers were detained during the protest in the state capital.

Goa: Congress leaders visited fuel pumps to apprise people of the Centre's policies. All India Congress Committee secretary A Chellakumar told reporters that the state unit of the Congress was not observing the shutdown as Goa is getting ready for Ganesh Chaturthi.

West Bengal: Almost all schools and colleges were open with the scheduled examinations underway and the office-goers were seen rushing to office. Train services were also normal.

Odisha: At least 10 trains were cancelled and several others regulated in the jurisdiction of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) in view of the bandh. Commuters were stranded in many places as buses, taxis and autorickshaws stayed off the roads.

Mizoram: Shops, offices and educational institutions were open in Congress-ruled Mizoram as there was no impact of the bandh anywhere in the state.

Bihar: Arson, vandalism and disruption of rail and road traffic were reported from various parts of Bihar during the bandh. A three-year-old girl died in the Jehanabad district which the BJP alleged was due to delay in find a vehicle to take her to the hospital. Private schools and a sizeable number of shopping establishments remained closed.

Assam:  Normal life was hit in BJP-ruled Assam. Congress workers attempted to stop movement of trains by squatting on the railway tracks and tried to block national highways and main roads across the state by burning tyres and setting up bamboo barricades.

Telangana: It evoked a mixed response as it was business as usual in many parts of the state, including the capital city. No untoward incidents have been reported so far, police said.

Kerala: Both public and private transport buses and autorickshaws kept off the roads across the state in response to the strike which began at 6 am. A large number of people including women and elderly, who arrived in the state capital by train from faraway places, were left stranded at the Thampanoor Railway station.

Tamil Nadu: Police sources said government buses were plying as usual even as educational institutions and a large number of shops and commercial establishments remained open.

Karnataka: Roads in the city wore a deserted look since morning as government buses, private taxis and most of the autorickshaws did not ply. Business establishments, shops, malls, certain private enterprises remained closed. SRTC buses kept off the road, sources said, adding city buses also did not ply.

Andhra Pradesh: Most of the educational institutions remained closed because of the bandh. Petrol stations too remained closed. Otherwise, there has not been much of an impact due to the shutdown.

 Puducherry: Public vehicles remained off roads, while stones were thrown at a Tamil Nadu government-owned express bus and a private college vehicle.
Sep 10, 2018 17:00 (IST)
Bharat Bandh, called by the Congress and other opposition parties against spiralling fuel prices paralysed normal life in Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry on Monday but drew a mixed response in the other southern states, officials said.

Normal life was thrown into disarray in the Karnataka where the Congress-JD(S) combine is in power. Roads in the city were deserted since morning as government buses, private taxis and most autorickshaws did not ply.


Sep 10, 2018 16:53 (IST)
Andhra Pradesh Cuts Petrol, Diesel Prices By Rs 2 Per Litre
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has announced a reduction of Rs 2 per litre on fuel prices, effective tomorrow. The loss of revenue from taxes will cost the exchequer up to Rs 1,120 crore, it is estimated."
Sep 10, 2018 16:35 (IST)
The BJP on Monday defended the rise in oil prices, attributing it to global factors, and accused the Congress and other opposition parties of resorting to violence during the 'Bharat Bandh'

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad acknowledged that the people were facing "momentary difficulty" due to increasing petrol and diesel prices and said the rise was due to factors beyond the government's control
Sep 10, 2018 16:31 (IST)
Randeep Surjewala during press briefing 

For the sake of women and homemakers, government must reduce gas prices

Bring Petrol diesel under GST purview, reduce VAT. Until this is done, our protest will continue 

The rupee is falling. It is a failure of 'Modinomics'

Sep 10, 2018 16:26 (IST)
National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah:  Why was there a Bharat Bandh in the first place? If you listen to the 2012 speeches of those in power today, they were shouting about petrol&diesel prices. Today the prices are surpassing prices of that time, Rupee has weakened against Dollar. We are in trouble 
Sep 10, 2018 16:00 (IST)
Bus services in Davanagere, Chamarajnagar, Kolar, Kolar Gold Fields, Bengaluru, Shimoga and Tumkur have now resumed: Karnataka State Road Transport 
Sep 10, 2018 15:58 (IST)
UP Cabinet Minister and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Om Prakash Rajbhar has warned the ruling BJP, saying the in the history of the country, governments have fallen because of price rise.

"In our country, there is a history of governments falling due to price rise. The people of the country have the real power. Whenever there is rise in petrol or diesel prices, the party in power has to suffer as this affects traders, youths, farmers and the poor," Mr Rajbhar said in a tweet on Sunday.

Sep 10, 2018 15:51 (IST)
Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu announces a reduction in petrol and diesel price by Rs 2 each, in the state: ANI
Sep 10, 2018 15:36 (IST)
Left on Congress' Bharat Bandh 

Seven Left parties, including CPI(M), CPI, RSP, Forward Block, CPI(ML), Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) and Communist Ghadar Party of India, staged a demonstration, alleging that the rise in fuel prices had a cascading inflationary effect.

"Left parties call on people to join this protest in a big way to demonstrate people's rejection of the Modi government and its policies. Distressed people of the country are forcing opposition parties to come together against the anti-people BJP government at the Centre," Sitaram Yechury told the people gathered at the rally.
Sep 10, 2018 15:28 (IST)
Sep 10, 2018 15:27 (IST)
Response to Congress' Bharat Bandh in Gujarat 

The Congress' Bharat bandh to protest against skyrocketing fuel prices evoked a mixed response in Gujarat with the party calling the shutdown successful while the police claimed it had no major impact.

Police said that over 300 Congress functionaries were detained across the state, including state party chief Amit Chavda and Gujarat party in-charge Rajiv Satav from Lal Darwaja area here in Ahmedabad. 

Schools were shut in areas including Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Mehsana and there were reports of Congress workers forcing petrol pumps to down shutters in some parts of the state.

In Rajkot, government schools remained open while private schools declared a holiday.



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