Many Oppn parties to participate in Congress-led Bharat Bandh

NEW DELHI: Many opposition parties will unitedly protest the rise in fuel prices in the country on Monday and participate in the ‘Bharat Bandh’ called by the Congress.

Top opposition party leaders like Sharad Pawar, M K Stalin and left leaders have openly extended their support for the call for shut down, while the Trinamool Congress has decided to stay away from the protest.

The ruling TMC in West Bengal has expressed support on the issues on which the shut down has been called, but said it was against any kind of strike in the state according to the stated policy of party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that the Narendra Modi government has “looted” Rs 11 lakh crore from the people of the country in the last 52 months and was running a “profiteering company” rather than a government.

The way gas, diesel and petrol prices are increasing every day, it has caused great distress to farmers, he said.

“DMK will extend complete support to the Bharat Bandh call by the Indian National Congress protesting against the BJP government for the steep rise in prices of petrol and diesel. I urge the people and party cadre to make the bandh on September 10 a big success,” Stalin has said.

Given the bandh call, Congress has urged party workers not to indulge in any violent protest.

BJP’S prickly ally in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena, too, took potshots at the central government, putting up posters to mock the saffron party’s 2014 campaign slogan of ‘achhe din’.

The Odisha government has directed all schools to remain closed on September 10. In Karnataka JD(S), which runs a coalition government with the Congress, also has extended support to the bandh.

The Goa unit of the Congress has said it will not take part in the nationwide bandh.

The Congress unit in Madhya Pradesh will also observe the bandh. RJD will support the bandh in Bihar.

In Maharashtra Opposition parties have appealed to Shiv Sena, an ally of the ruling BJP, to support the Bharat Bandh against rising prices. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has also asked party members to observe bandh. Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu, including the DMK, have extended their support to the Bharat bandh.

In Kerala, the Opposition parties’ response here is lukewarm as the state is yet to recover from the flood devastation.