LIVE: Congress' Bharat Bandh evokes mixed response; BJP calls it 'failure'

Congress and 20 other Opposition parties hit the streets today to protest the recent space of hikes in fuel prices and a fall in the value of the rupee

4:33 PM

Why was there a Bharat Bandh in the first place? If you listen to the 2012 speeches of those in power today, they were shouting about petrol&diesel prices. Today the prices are surpassing prices of that time, Rupee has weakened against Dollar. We are in trouble, says Farooq Abdullah

4:26 PM

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad acknowledged that the people were facing "momentary difficulty" due to increasing petrol and diesel prices and said they understand that this was due to factors beyond the control of the central government.

 

Noting that oil prices had gone down after the Bharatiya Janata Party government came to power in May 2014, before they went up, he said it is a problem whose solution is not in its hands.

 

"We are standing with people in their problem. We are trying to redress the issue and will do that," he told a press conference.

2:52 PM

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath slammed the opposition parties for their 'Bharat Bandh'. He said this kind of "negative thinking" will obliterate them from the opposition benches soon.

 

"This (Bandh) is a manifestation of their (opposition parties) negative thinking. India is rising as the biggest economy in the world under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Welfare schemes are being launched, people are getting benefits. In such a scenario, nothing else can be expected from the desperate and demoralised opposition, which has no leadership or plans or strategy for the future," Adityanath said.

 

"May God bless them and give them wisdom... They should cooperate on the issue of development and play a positive role instead of adopting a negative approach, otherwise they will not be able to sit even in the opposition," he said.

2:51 PM

Tripura: Around 400 bandh supporters were detained in different parts of Tripura Monday for trying to disrupt normal life, a senior police officer said.

 

All government offices, including the civil secretariat, conducted business as usual and public vehicles plied on roads like any other day, Officiating AIG (Law and Order) Subrata Chakraborty said.

 

"The strike was totally violence-free and no untoward incident was reported from any part of the state so far. More than 400 picketers were detained for trying to enforce bandh," he told PTI.

2:49 PM

Gujarat: The Congress called the shutdown in the sttae successful while the police claimed it had no major impact.

 

Police said that over 300 Congress functionaries were detained across the state, including state party chief Amit Chavda and Gujarat party in-charge Rajiv Satav from Lal Darwaja area here.

 

Schools were shut in areas including Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Mehsana and there were reports of Congress workers forcing petrol pumps to down shutters in some parts of the state.

 

In Rajkot, government schools remained open while private schools declared a holiday.

 

Roads in some areas, including Chhotaudepur and Surat, were blocked with burning tyres by protesting Congress workers while bus services were affected in many areas like Rajkot, Amreli and Ahmedabad.

2:37 PM

Congress President Rahul Gandhi with senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and others during 'Bharat Bandh' protest march against fuel price hike and depreciation of the rupee, at Rajghat in New Delhi, Monday (Photo: Dalip Kumra)

2:36 PM

Congress President Rahul Gandhi during 'Bharat Bandh' protest against fuel price hike and depreciation of the rupee, at Rajghat in New Delhi, Monday (Photo: Dalip Kumar)

2:32 PM

1:52 PM

Mizoram: Shops, offices and educational institutions were open in Congress-ruled Mizoram as there was no impact of the 'Bharat Bandh' anywhere in the state, officials said.

 

Neither the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) nor the opposition parties joined the nation-wide bandh called by the Congress and supported by 21 political parties protesting against the unprecedented rise in fuel prices.

1:37 PM

Bihar: Arson, vandalism and disruption of rail and road traffic were reported from various parts of Bihar Monday during the 'Bharat Bandh'. In the state capital, bandh supporters indulged in vandalism in the old Patna city area where they also placed burning tyres on railway tracks, disrupting movement of trains.

 

Private schools and a sizeable number of shopping establishments remained closed, fearing nuisance during the six-hour-long bandh which is also supported by the RJD, CPI and CPI(M).

 

Government offices and banks were, however, functioning normally and at some places, the bandh supporters were seen making way for ambulances and hearses.

1:31 PM

Jammu: Congress Party workers burn tyres during 'Bharat Bandh' protest called by Congress and other parties against fuel price hike and depreciation of the rupee, in Jammu

1:18 PM

1:18 PM

Uttar Pradesh: Partial response. While shops and other business establishments were closed in some parts of the state, life was normal in most of the areas, including the state capital. The protests are being led by Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chief Raj Babbar. Congress supporters were spotted urging shopkeepers to down their shutters in Hazratganj and Janpath. While some shopkeepers yielded to their demands others extended their support to the cause but refused to close their shops.

1:00 PM

https://mybs.in/2VpvZck -- Shed differences and unite to save this country: Manmohan tells Opposition

12:56 PM