A Bharat Bandh or nationwide shutdown called by the Congress and Left parties to protest against the rising fuel prices evoked partial response in Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
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 here 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.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) is protesting at the tehsil and block level against price hike, rising unemployment and the falling rupee. SP workers took out a protest march in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wearing chains and shackles and raising anti-BJP government slogans. They were carrying posters reflecting joblessness and rising fuel prices.
Mathura witnessed a successful bandh called by the Congress and normal life appeared to behit by the protests. All dairies and small kiosks on the Holi gate square were closed. Former Congress Legislature Party leader in the UP assembly Pradeep Mathur was leading the protests here.
Stray protests were also witnessed in Jaunpur, Gorakhpur, Amroha, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Aligarh, Bulandshahd, Etawah, Mainpuri and Kanpur.
Police was on high alert across the state to ensure that there was no violence or vandalism during the Bharat Bandh.
--IANS
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