The Bharat Bandh received a mixed response from people across the country today, though the Opposition parties claimed it was a huge success.
Almost all the states have so far witnessed protests and blockades. Earlier on Monday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi began the protests with a visit to Rajghat. He was joined by leaders of the Congress and various Opposition parties.
Apart from the Congress, the RJD, NCP, SP, DMK and IUML and others have supported the bandh call. The AAP, which did not support the call last week, joined the protests on Monday and said the issues raised by the Opposition are relevant to the common people. The Left parties had separately decided to hold a hartal on the day.
"Fuel prices allowed to soar, by a callous govt, making lives of ordinary Indians impossible. Most appropriate that Modi photos are at all petrol stations. But people paying for the ₹4,343 cr spent on these
Bandh near total in Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Normal life and business in Kerala has been hit by the bandh called by the Opposition Congress, with the ruling Marxist-led Left Front in the state finding common cause and joining in.
While 21 political parties have declared support to the Bharat Bandh being observed from 9 am to 3 pm today, in Kerala it will take the form of a dawn-to-dusk hartal (6 am to 6 pm) hartal.
Shops and establishments are closed, and buses of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation are not plying to protest the "sustained price spiral in fuel prices".
But the flood-affected areas in the state and relief and rehabilitation activities have not been affected by the hartal, Congress leaders said here.
Activists of the Congress-led United Democratic Front have been staging protest demonstrations in front of petrol/ diesel dealers in many parts of the state. Passengers heading for airports, railway and bus stations have been stranded at many places since neither the state transport utility nor private operators are operating services.
Private vehicles ventured out in some places but found stiff resistance at many places in the state capital, even as shops, establishments and schools remained closed.
While the leader of the Opposition travelled on a bullock-cart here this morning in symbolic protest, senior party colleague, Oommen Chandy, walked down the main thoroughfare to the party office.