Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh and Left leaders Prakash Karat and A B Bardhan on Thursday courted arrest in New Delhi during the nation-wide bandh against FDI in retail and diesel price hike.
After holding a joint demonstration at Jantar Mantar, the leaders of SP, four Left parties, JD(S), TDP and BJD marched to Parliament Street Police Station along with supporters and courted arrest.
Besides Mr. Mulayam, Mr. Karat (CPI-M) and Mr. Bardhan (CPI), other prominent leaders who courted arrested included Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Chandrababu Naidu of TDP and Deve Gowda.
“The government has been coming out with policies after policies that affect people of this country. The biggest loser of these policies especially diesel price hike is farmers. Farmers have been put to lot of trouble.
“We will tour the entire nation and listen to people’s grievances and decide our strategy,” Mr. Mulayam said addressing the protesters.
Mr. Karat alleged the government came out with the FDI decision to “rob the jobs of traders and give it to companies like Walmart”.
“We want to tell the government that its policies on FDI, diesel price hike and PSU disinvestment are wrong. We have to keep this movement alive till the Govt rollbacks these decisions.
“We will fight for this inside and outside Parliament. We will persuade the government to withdraw its decision. I request Mulayam Singh to support us in this fight for the people of the country,” he said.
Mr. Naidu said the government’s policies are “wrong” and the Congress has to understand this. “All these are anti-people decisions and they need to be withdrawn,” he added.
A nation-wide bandh has been called by NDA, Left parties and SP against the Centre’s decision on FDI in retail, diesel price rise and cap on LPG cylinders.
Keywords: Bharat bandh, NDA-sponsored bandh, nationwide bandh, FDI in retail, cap on LPG, fuel price hike, Mulayam Singh, Prakash Karat, Chandrababu Naidu, Sitaram Yechury, Deve Gowda, arrest
I think the answer is loud clear for all the so-called oppostion leaders, the masses have decided not to participate in the bandh as it will not produce any results, seondly the oppostion does not have a concrete plan B, after MM Singh goes, still there will be farmers committing suicide, more taxes, shortage of everything from food, water, electricity you can include anything you want, more terrorists attacking us, more communal disturbances, more people getting killed in heavy rains its all the same with you politicians. In the end you and your families are the only ones who live luxuriously with crores of rupess at your disposal.
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