Maoists add fuel price to bandh reasons

The Communist Party of India (Maoist) on Saturday added two subjects — the fuel price hike effected by the Centre and the Public Safety Act used by the Jammu and Kashmir Government against the All Parties Hurriyat Conference — to the list of issues on which it called a 48-hour-bandh in five States from June 30.

A statement by Maoist Polit Bureau member Kishanji said the fuel price revision would distress common people further. It also criticised the role played by two UPA constituents, the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and asked how the Congress could have hike the prices had these allies opposed the decision.

Omar Abdullah criticised

Criticising Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's decision to book Hurriyat leadersunder the Public Safety Act, the party said peace could never be restored in Jammu and Kashmir by the way the Centre was handling the situation.

Earlier, the Maoists said the bandh was being called in protest against the callous handling of the Bhopal gas leak issue by both the NDA and UPA governments, the letting off of the then Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson and the Centre's policy of divesting 10 per cent shares of public sector units.