Business: May 30, 2012

The unprecedented here in gasoline prices helped the Left and the Right to make common cause on Thursday for a national protest, described by BJP and its allies as a Bharat Bandh and left as an All India Protest Day. This is the second time that the BJP, Left and other non-Congress parties will coordinate their upheavals of the last Lok Sabha elections to give the impression of a larger opposition unity on questions of people.

A similar agitation against petrol price here was held on July 5, 2010.

Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, which supports the UPA goverment from the outside, it also gives the bandh call on Thursday so BJD in Odisha.

Amid indications that the opposition is also trying to rope in some UPA allies, who strongly protested the here, BJP president Nitin Gadkari today asked parties like DMK, who opposed the petrol price here, to join the bandh today.

"The UPA government increased gasoline prices at 18 to 19 times. Now even the Rupee has fallen even more. The situation is deteriorating in such a way that we have reached the stage where we have to promise to our gold back. We would like all parties, as opposed to the gasoline here , to join our protest, "Gadkari told reporters on Wednesday.

NDA convener Sharad Yadav said the Opposition parties do not believe the statement of the government, that it will not increase diesel and LPG prices.

"They say because they are under pressure from the Opposition now. His argument that the government has no role in the gasoline price here is eyewash. People's anger on the subject will be visible during the Bharat Bandh today.

Shutdown begins in Maharashtra

The Opposition-sponsored shutdown started in Mumbai and the state peacefully on Thursday, barring sporadic incidents of violence in Thane and Pune, officials said.

There were at least four incidents of government buses being stoned in Pune and Thane as the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena, Left, Samajwadi Party and others called for a national wide shutdown to protest the latest here in gasoline prices.

In addition, the shutdown is supported by anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare and even Mumbai's 'Dabbawallas' which do not provide their regular tiffin delivery services today.

Violence erupted in Pune and over 13 public transport buses were damaged in various places.

Bengal partially affected

Public life in Kolkata remained relatively unaffected while in some districts of Bengal was partially affected early Thursday morning for the 12-hour Bharat bandh called by the NDA.

The Chief Secretary has issued a circular on Tuesday appealing to employees of the government to report to work. The Mamata Banerjee administration has already set a precedent of work culture, when the Bharat bandh on February 28, forced the employees to come to work threatened to deduct wages and even perform the discontinuation of service.

Bandh supporters managed to block train services in some sections of Sealdah section.

Reports of sporadic violence was reported from some areas of North 24 Parganas (district adjoining Kolkata) where bandh supporters damaged government buses and private vehicles. Police struggled to tame bandh supporters at Barasat as they outnumbered the protesters.

Bandh supporters blocked different points of NH 34 which provides the vital link between Kolkata and the Northeast bringing traffic to a standstill. Most of these points of blockade was in North 24 Parganas district.

Trains stopped in UP

Ruling Samajwadi Party, the NDA and Left parties sponsored a call for dawn to dusk 'Uttar Pradesh bandh' on Thursday in protest against the Centre decision here gasoline prices by Rs. 7.50 per liter, hit the train services in the state.

In Varanasi, activists of the Chatra Sabha of SP stopped three trains in Cantonment railway station, while in Allahabad, Ganga-Gomti Express by going to Lucknow was arrested Prayag station.

Reports of rail and road blockades poured in from other places, including Etawah, Kanpur, Faizabad, Gorakhpur and Lucknow.

In Kanpur, an announcement was published in the local newspapers cautioning people to stay indoors during the bandh.

Petrol bombs in support of the bandh call in most parts of the state decided to maintain its connection closed until the afternoon.

Traffic hit in Delhi

BJP workers organized protests during the gas price here. The bandh was together with automatic rickshaw unions also, and the commuters faced difficulties as the majority of the Autos and taxis stayed off the roads.

Shops closed over Himachal

Shops and commercial establishments were closed across Himachal Pradesh on Thursday morning as activists of the ruling BJP and the CPI-M protested the here in gasoline prices.

However, there was no report of traffic stopped up because of the shutdown in the state.

Over 6,000 vendors in Shimla kept their shops closed.

Normal life affected in Karnataka

The bandh called by NDA and Left parties disrupted normal life in parts of the BJP-ruled Karnataka where bandh supporters set on fire three buses and killed about a dozen other forcing authorities to withdraw bus services in the city.

According to initial reports received in Bangalore, the bandh evoked a good response in several districts. Public transport was beaten and shops and business establishments remained closed in many parts of the state.

Holiday has been declared for schools and colleges today in view of the bandh.

In a lost incidents of violence targeting state-run buses, some people torched three Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses in the small hours, and killed about a dozen forcing the authorities to withdraw bus services.

During a bus was set on fire in Roopena Agrahara, two others were torched in KR Puram and fire force rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire, the police said.

In the wake of stray incidents of stone pelting, BMTC city bus services suspended until this evening.

Business

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Bharat bandh hits normal life; bus, rail services affected

Sensex rangebound; auto, banks, capital goods down

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