Bharat Bandh evokes mixed response; normal life hit in some states
NEW DELHI: Normal life was hit in some states Monday with offices and educational institutes closed and vehicles off the roads during an opposition-sponsored ‘Bharat Bandh’ which was mostly peaceful, barring some incidents of violence.
A three-year-old girl died in Bihar’s Jehanabad district which the BJP alleged was due to delay in finding a vehicle to take her to the hospital. Train services were affected in Odisha.
The bandh was called by 21 opposition parties led by Congress president Rahul Gandhi. It began at Rajghat where Gandhi offered holy water from his Kailash Mansarovar yatra. He then accompanied opposition leaders then marched to Ramlila Maidan from Rajghat.
In states like Kerala, Karnataka, Bihar, Odisha and Arunachal Pradesh life was hit by the shutdown, but Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Mizoram remained mostly unaffected.
In New Delhi, offices, schools and colleges opened at their regular time despite the bandh. Traffic was affected in Daryaganj and around Ramlila Maidan due to the protest.
In Odisha, train services were disrupted in many places as Congress workers blocked railway tracks to enforce the bandh. At least ten trains were cancelled.
In Kerala, the hartal hit normal life. Both public and private transport buses and autorickshaws kept off the roads.
The bandh evoked a mixed response in Telangana. The police took scores of workers
of the Congress, Left and TDP into custody when they held protests and prevented buses from plying.
Normal life was thrown out of gear in Karnataka. Roads in Bangalore wore a deserted look as government buses, private taxis and most autorickshaws did not ply.
In Jharkhand, 58 Congress activists were taken into police custody for forcibly trying to enforce the bandh.
Almost all schools, colleges and offices were open in West Bengal where examinations were held as scheduled.
Bandh supporters protested on railway tracks at Jadavpur station, but it was withdrawn after commuters’ protest.
In Tamil Nadu, normal life largely remained unaffected. However, autorickshaws affiliated to trade unions participating in the shutdown kept off the roads, they said. Arson, vandalism and disruption of rail and road traffic were reported from Bihar.
NEW DELHI: The country is being divided under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rule, Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged on Monday and declared that a united opposition will defeat the BJP in the next elections.
Addressing a protest rally with various opposition parties at the Ramlila grounds here, he also questioned the prime minister's silence on rising fuel prices, the Rafale jet deal and issues such as farmer suicides, atrocities against women and unemployment.
Ramping up his attack against the prime minister, Gandhi said Modi in 2014 had made promises to the people of the country, youth, farmers and women, assuring them of jobs and their safety.
"People believed in him and helped form his government," he said. Four years on, people are clearly seeing what he has done, Gandhi added.
"Narendra Modi used to say that nothing has happened in 70 years and we will do that in four years. It is true, what he has done in four years has not happened in 70 years. Wherever you see, one Indian is fighting another. Wherever you go, they divide people -- one
religion with another, one caste with another and one state pitted against the other," he said.
Gandhi, who is leading the Bharat Bandh against fuel prices, made his first appearance after returning from the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage.
He marched from Rajghat, where he paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and offered water from the Mansarovar
lake, to Ramlila grounds with other opposition and Congress
leaders as part of the country-
wide protest. At the Ramlila grounds, he was joined by former prime minister Manmohan Singh and top opposition leaders, Nationalist Congress Party's Sharad Pawar and Loktantrik Janata Dal's Sharad Yadav. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was present at the rally but did not speak.
All opposition parties are sharing a common platform, he said, adding that this is a reflection of opposition unity.
"Sharing the same ideology, we will together defeat the BJP," he said. The Congress president said it is unfortunate that the pain of the people of the country, including farmers, youth and women, is being shared by opposition leaders present at the event but not by Narendra Modi.
"This is the difference between them and us. We promise from here that we will unitedly work together to remove the BJP," he said.
Gandhi wondered why the PM was silent on rising petrol and diesel prices, farmer suicide, rapes in which BJP MLAS are involved and the Rafale deal.
"What the country wants to hear, what the youth want to hear, PM Narendra Modi does not talk about it. Don't know which world he is in, he keeps giving speeches... The country is fed up of seeing him," he said.
While farmers are unable to find a way forward, only 15 to 20 crony capitalists are seeing the way forward, he alleged.
Hitting out at the PM and his government on the Rafale deal, he said the Rs 45,000 crore "free gift" being given to his "friend" belongs to the people of the country and has been snatched away from the people, he said.
Gandhi also accused the prime minister of "destroying" business through demonetisation and GST which he dubbed "Gabbar Singh Tax".
"We are unable to understand what purpose the note ban achieved. PM claimed black money will be eradicated. But is has turned out that back money of all thieves has turned white. Then came Gabbar Singh Tax ... corruption has risen because of that, ask any businessman. But Narendra Modi does not speak about it. This is the truth of the country," he said.