Nationwide bandh over fuel price hike and FDI in retail on September 20

New Delhi: Opposition parties have given a call for a nationwide bandh today to protest the government's reform measures announced last week. The government, taking some politically tough decisions had hiked the price of diesel by Rs. 5 per litre, capped the supply of subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders to six per household and cleared 51 per cent Foreign Direct Investment or FDI in multi-brand retail - reforms, which saw its biggest ally, Mamata Banerjee, pull out of the UPA.

With many regional parties and auto tax unions also supporting today’s agitation, normal life was thrown completely out of gear as major shops, commercial establishment remained closed and the movement of trains and commercial vehicles was disrupted in various states due to stone pelting and demonstrations spelling trouble for the common man.

September 20's strike against these new policies has won the support of parties ranging from the Left to the BJP, and crucially, Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose Samajwadi Party is now key for the government's survival. The Samajwadi Party, which has 22 MPs and was for long considered the Congress' Plan B if Mamata Banerjee ditched the UPA, has been playing hard to get. The SP has been vehemently opposed to FDI in retail and has told the UPA that it cannot take its support for granted. "Let the Congress be enlightened," he said yesterday, of the political situation, "that it has to give people more than corruption and rising prices."
The Left Front will also be holding a 12-hour strike in West Bengal to oppose the Centre's new reforms. "The government is making a false claim that oil companies are facing losses. ONGC, Bharat petroleum, Hindustan petroleum are making profits and not losses. So, there is no reason for increase in the prices of oil. This will increase inflation and prices of all commodities," CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat had said.
Meanwhile, coming as a huge relief to the UPA, which is now in a minority in Parliament after the Trinamool Congress announced it was exiting the Congress-led ruling coalition, Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has said it will not participate in the nation-wide strike even though the party opposes FDI in retail. The Congress is now looking at the BSP, which supports the UPA from outside, as its best bet to make up the numbers it needs to survive. The BSP has 21 MPs, two more than the Trinamool Congress.
The DMK, a member of the UPA with 18 MPs, has said it remains with the government, though it will participate in nationwide protest against FDI in retail, and the new diesel prices. Sources in the Southern party say that the DMK has decided "not to embarrass the UPA" and that its course will not be affected by Ms Banerjee's pull-out.

Though the policy to allow 51 per cent FDI was cleared first in November by the cabinet, it was shelved after Ms Banerjee threatened to pull out of the UPA. Sources say that last Friday, when the cabinet decided to implement the reforms, many senior ministers were also caught off-guard. The policy had not been listed in notes circulated before the meeting. Though Commerce Minister Anand Sharma had a phone conversation with Ms Banerjee the night before, he did not refer to FDI in retail. The government had informed other allies Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah, and TR Baalu about its plans - allies who it was confident would not block the reform.

The new reforms, designed to revive a sluggish economy, means global firms such as Wal-Mart can set up shop with a local partner and sell directly to consumers for the first time. Like the Left and the BJP, Ms Banerjee had argued that the entry of international super-markets will put thousands of corner shops and farmers out of business.
Samajwadi Party workers blocked rail traffic at Allahabad railway station in the morning. BJP Yuva Morcha activists stopped trains at Patna junction.

A view of Bangalore

Workers of SP, CPM, CPI, TDP, BJD, JD (S), All India Forward Bloc and the RSP have plans to organise picketing, demonstrations and court arrest.

A scuffle broke out between the TMC workers and BJP workers in Howrah when BJP workers were taking out a rally in support of the bandh and TMC workers were opposing it.
The bandh did not have much effect in the morning in Delhi as Autos and buses could be seen plying on the road and Delhi metro was also running smoothly. However, some schools in the capital were closed due to the bandh according to the reports.
According to media reports, protesters burned effigy of the prime minister at some places in UP.
In Bangalore, government and private schools were shut.
However, many political parties have stayed away from the bandh.

Trinamool Congress which reduced ruling UPA-II to minority by announcing to pull out its 19 MPs from the coalition, has opposed the bandh stating that a bandh served no purpose.

BJP workers  demonstrating in Bengal

She said that taking advantage of the diesel price hike, the prices of some commodities were sought to be increased and a bandh would further aggravate the situation.

"We will not allow bandh forcibly," she said.

She said that offices in West Bengal would remain open on September and state-run buses and trams would be on the roads.

Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) which has 21 members of Parliament in Lok Sabha, too said it will not participate in the nation-wide strike called by opposition parties on Thursday.

Samajwadi Party has expressed displeasure on government's decision on FDI and diesel price. It announced stir against government's decisions on diesel, LPG and FDI. The party has 22 MPs in Lok Sabha.

Congress ally DMK, however, has decided to support the bandh. DMK president M Karunanidhi asked party workers and front organisations to participate in the strike and make it a success.

Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha (GJMM) too has decided not to participate in the countrywide strike.

With the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena staying away from the bandh, the BJP is banking upon support from JD(U) and traders' bodies of the nation. Various associations of traders and retailers have backed the bandh.

Traders' body CAIT said its members in different states will observe bandh in protest against the government's decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail sector.

"All traders and retailers across Mumbai and Thane will down their shutters. We are not supporting any political party but fighting a battle for our own survival," said Viren Shah, president of the Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Associations.

Several leaders of different political parties, which are also observing the nation-wide bandh, will address a rally of retail traders at Jantar Mantar, Secretary General of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) Praveen Khandelwal said.

About 25,000 trade associations representing five crore traders, hawkers, labourers and farmers will participate in the bandh, Khandelwal claimed.