New Delhi: Congress led opposition parties held a daylong nationwide ‘bandh’ to protest against rising fuel prices. Party President Rahul Gandhi made his first appearance after completing the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra at the ‘bandh’. He marched from Rajghat, where he paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and offered water from the Mansarovar lake, to Ramlila grounds with other opposition and Congress leaders as part of the country-wide protest. At the Ramlila grounds, he was joined by former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and top opposition leaders, Nationalist Congress Party’s Sharad Pawar and Loktantrik Janata Dal’s Sharad Yadav and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi among other leaders.
Mr Gandhi while questioning silence of Prime Minister Modi on fuel prices said combined opposition will defeat BJP in next elections. Addressing the gathering at the Ramlila grounds Mr Gandhi said that in Mr Modi’s rule, hatred being spread and country being divided. He said, “What the country wants to hear, what the youth want to hear, PM Narendra Modi does not talk about it. Don’t know which world he is in, he keeps giving speeches. In 2014 People believed in him and helped form his government.”
Mr Gandhi further added, “Narendra Modi used to say that nothing has happened in 70 years and we will do that in four years. It is true, what he has done in four years has not happened in 70 years. Wherever you see, one Indian is fighting another. Wherever you go, they divide people — one religion with another, one caste with another and one state pitted against the other.” Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh also lashed out at the Modi government saying that the ‘government has taken a lot of steps not in the interest of the country and has now “crossed the limit’.
He added, “The Modi government has done a lot which is not in national interest. Now it has crossed the limit and time is coming to change it. Voices from across the country can be heard saying people are unhappy with the government.” Attacking the government he said, “We are unable to understand what purpose the note ban achieved. PM claimed black money will be eradicated. But is has turned out that back money of all thieves has turned white. Then came Gabbar Singh Tax ... Corruption has risen because of that, ask any businessman. But Narendra Modi does not speak about it. This is the truth of the country.”
Normal life was hit in some states with offices and educational institutes closed and vehicles off the roads during an opposition sponsored ‘Bharat Bandh’ which was largely peaceful, barring some incidents of violence. A three-year-old girl died in Bihar’s Jehanabad district which the BJP alleged was due to delay in find a vehicle to take her to the hospital. Train services were affected in Odisha. In Kerala, the hartal hit normal life. Both public and private transport buses and auto rickshaws kept off the roads.
