The Hindu : Front Page : Nationwide bandh hits life

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 06, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Nationwide bandh hits life

Special Correspondent

BJP, Left leaders court arrest against fuel price hike

PHOTOS: S. SUBRAMANIUM & SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

STRONG RESISTANCE:BJP leader Rajnath Singh, NDA convener Sharad Yadav, Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta, party national president Nitin Gadkari and Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal staging a protest in New Delhi on Monday.

NEW DELHI: The nationwide bandh called by the Opposition against the Centre's hike in fuel prices threw normal life out of gear in many parts of the country on Monday.

The 12-hour hartal by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, the Left parties and their secular allies hit air, rail and road traffic in different States.

BJP president Nitin Gadkari, senior leader Rajnath Singh, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan, deputy general secretary S. Sudhakar Reddy, and national secretaries D. Raja and Atul Anjaan courted arrest here, while Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley and TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu did so in Lucknow and Hyderabad. While the NDA and Left parties gave separate calls for the hartal, the response led to a unanimous conclusion that it was an “unprecedented success.''

Reports from Bihar, Gujarat, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, and Kerala, said the hartal was complete, while it was partial in Assam, Haryana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Delhi.

Left leaders A.B. Bardhan, Brinda Karat and D. Raja mount a road blockade in the national capital.

Police turned out in strength in various parts as reports of protesters squatting on the rail track affecting movement of trains came from the eastern States.

Public transport was hit in some parts, while reports of baton-charge by police and sporadic violence came from Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. Instances of traffic stoppage were reported from several cities including Delhi.

Movement of rail traffic was affected in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, while about 40 flights from Kolkata and Mumbai were cancelled with airlines reporting a drop in traffic.

Schools and colleges in many States remained shut and banking services were affected in States where the BJP and the Left parties and their allies are in power. The All-India Motor Transport Congress said 62 lakh commercial vehicles stayed off the road.

Mr. Sharad Yadav said the protest could not have been a success but for the turnout by the people. CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat said the Centre should heed the voice of the people and roll back the hike.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page