Bharat Bandh called by the opposition parties in protest against diesel price hike and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail evoked near total response in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled Chhattisgarh today.
Shops and business establishment across the state remained closed as traders pulled down the shutters voluntarily in support of the demands. Chhattisgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry—the highest body of traders in the state—had supported the bandh called by the opposition parties.
Chamber President Sreechand Sunderani said that the traders spontaneously came forward to close the shutters. He claimed that bandh was total in the state as far as traders’ support was concerned. “The entry of FDI in India will pave way for the foreigners to rule in the country again,” Sunderani said.
The BJP workers had made necessary preparation to make the bandh a grand show in Chhattisgarh. Today morning, the party workers came out on streets and ensured that no shutter was opened. The public transport was also off the road that caused inconvenience to the common people.
The city bus operator had expressed its willingness to run the service in the state capital. But the police authorities showed its inability to provide security cover. However, adequate security arrangement was made in the entire state to avoid any untoward incident in wake of bandh..
The activists of Communist parties also came to the streets to make the bandh a total success in the state.
The rail service remained uninterrupted in the state that ferry minerals like coal and iron ore to different destinations.
The BJP leaders claimed the nation wide call of bandh was total in Chhattisgarh as people supported the wrong policies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.