A mixed response has been seen on Thursday of the Bharat Bandh movement called by opposition parties led by Bhartiya Janta Party and Traders Union across the country. The severe impacts of the protest were reported from some cities of West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu, Orissa, Rajasthan and northeastern parts of India.
On the contrary, Bandh has not affected much in Goa, Maharashtra, Kerala and Delhi.
This bandh (closing) protest was called by National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Sep 20 in the protest of government's move to increase the price of Diesel, capping on LPG domestic Cylinder and allowing Foreign Direct Investments in retail sectors.
Bharatiya Yuva Morcha activists blocked three trains at the Patna Railway Station and in Darbhanga earlier.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) supporters also took to the streets in Patna to vent their ire over the decisions taken by the government.
Left Parties said they would continue their fight to prevent introduction of Foreign Direct Investment in retail and against increased diesel prices, besides moves to encourage disinvestment in the public sector.
CPI-M activist Arun Kumar Mishra said in Patna, "The government took the decision on its own by passing an executive order, the parliament was not functioning. It is an insult of the democratic system that they took such an important decision without discussion in the parliament. Therefore, this government is anti-people."
The shutdown has, however, not affected Maharashtra as much, due to the ongoing Ganesh Chaturthi festivities.
In Mumbai, markets and shops were closed, as traders and shopkeepers have come out in support of the opposition shutdown call.
"The strike is absolutely justified, as there is unemployment and people are facing the brunt of increasing inflation," said Vinod Khandikar, a local.
Commuters in Kolkata are stranded because of the Left Front initiated shutdown.
"We are facing a lot of problems due to the strike, as I had to take longer route to reach office. I have been standing from so long and due to the strike, most of the routes are closed. So, I cannot commute right now," said Arun Roy, a resident here.
The Bandh affected in Jammu but Kashmir valley remained unaffected as shops and commuting were normal today while streets in Jammu wore a deserted look with all market areas and shops closed. Police personnel have been deployed in an around markets to prevent any untoward incident.
"Today, we are protesting against the government's decision of allowing FDI in the retail sector, hiking the price of diesel and its decision of providing six gas cylinders in year," said Yudhvir Sethi, a protestor in Jammu.
Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party has announced its participation while BSP has stated that it would not participate in the bandh.
The affect of bandh has not been seen so much in National Capital as local commuter buses and metro rail services functioned normally Thursday morning. Auto-rickshaws also seemed to ply normally on the capital's streets. Some private schools had declared a holiday to avoid inconvenience to children.
At city markets, it was business as usual. However, BJP President Nitin Gadkari along some senior leaders lead the protests from Chandni Chowk area of old Delhi, which is the heart of the retail trading.
They begin to shut down the shops and burned the effigy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Presiend Sonia Gandhi. The effigy of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was also burnt in various parts of Delhi.
--With Agencies Inputs--
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