Nationwide strike in India over fuel price hike

[kawaraj]

NEW DELHI: India’s opposition parties held a nationwide strike on Thursday, vowing to shut down the country in protest against steep petrol price rises announced last week.

Political parties and trade unions planned anti-government marches, roadblocks and pickets outside government offices to focus anger on the administration of embattled Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“We will lodge a strong democratic protest over the petrol price hike,”Prakash Javdekar, spokesman of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), told AFP.

“People are angry and they want to protest and this is the only legitimate way.” The strike called by the BJP and other opposition parties is not a threat to the Congress party-led government, but poses a fresh challenge as Singh struggles with declining economic growth and policy paralysis in parliament.

“The price rise is killing us and the government is sleeping but today will wake them up,” said Ravikant Sahai, a grocery shop owner in New Delhi, where many roads were quiet on Thursday morning.

Sahai, 43, said he would not open his shop and hoped many other traders would join the strike.

“Petrol price rises hurt everyone. Our business suffers. Why is this government determined to hurt us?” he said.

Last week, Indian state-run oil firms announced the sharpest jump in petrol prices in nearly a decade to offset growing losses caused by subsidised rates, rises in the international oil price and a plunging rupee.

Once taxes are included, the price increase of 6.28 rupees (11 US cents) per litre will result in a 7.5-rupee hike for consumers in cities such as Delhi.

“It is unjustified and the government only has itself to blame for the present crisis,” said D. Raja, national secretary of the Communist Party of India.

Nationwide strike in India over fuel price hike | DAWN.COM

 

[DelhiDareDevil]

Shows what people can do if they live in a democratic nation really.

 

[SpArK]

Bharat Bandh Disrupts Normal Life in Arunachal | news.outlookindia.com
Normal Life Affected in Punjab Due to Bandh | news.outlookindia.com
Bharat Bandh: Goa Remains Shut, Tourists Stranded | news.outlookindia.com
Jharkhand Hit by Bandh, Trains Disrupted | news.outlookindia.com

 

[ADAMANSKA]

Delhi Metro was crowded like hell today. Guess all of them left their vehicles at home. :/

 

[Mech]

Massive strikes everywhere except Kerala. Impressive.

 

[kawaraj]

Shows what people can do if they live in a democratic nation really.

interesting angle of viewpoint.

I'd rather interpret it as people are well fed as they managed to demonstrate walking on street. how's that one?

 

[itaskol]

interesting angle of viewpoint.

I'd rather interpret it as people are well fed as they managed to demonstrate walking on street. how's that one?

well said

 

[JayAtl]

interesting angle of viewpoint.

I'd rather interpret it as people are well fed as they managed to demonstrate walking on street. how's that one?

Or that it was largely peaceful without any civilians blowing each other up, destroying shops and looting public property.

 

[Mech]

Or that it was largely peaceful without any civilians blowing each other up, destroying shops and looting public property.

I love your posts man. Epic !

 

[JayAtl]

Indian govt does not set oil prices just ridiculous subsidies added to it. The govt is absolutely correct in hiking prices by removing subsidies. Your economy earns taxes from only 6% ,is it, of the base? That is ridiculous and you want more subsidies?

 

[CorporateAffairs]

Just politics and nothing more!

BJP is leading this nation wide bandh and KA (a BJP rules state) has levied 40% taxes on petrol and diesel.

What nonsense is this? Who is BJP cheating? Afterall, do they think common man cannot think?

First clean up your own states and then lets us talk about bandh and strikes!!!

 

[Zeeshan360]

^^ Rightly said

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

Well i see no effect of so called Bandh in TN.... So it have failed here...

 

[jha]

What a lame politics by BJP... We are again returning to 80's and 90's brand of politics...

We are living in sad times. Both national parties suck at leadership. I had high hope from BJP but when the party president is decided by negotiations, I very much doubt that BJP will show any improvement over their 2009 tally...

 

[SinoChallenger]

They should all go out to the field at the same time as a form of protest.