The Bharat bandh witnessed novel protests, wherein the the opposition parties including the Congress and the Left, pulledvehicles with ropes, at several places in the district on Monday protesting against the unabated rise in petrol and diesel prices.
The nation-wide shutdown called by the Congress and backed by various other opposition parties resenting the skyrocketing prices of fuel disrupted normal life in many parts of the undivided Khammam district.
Most of the shops and other business establishments, petrol bunks, cinema theatres, and private educational institutions remained closed in in the district.
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Public transport services were hit as the TSRTC operated just around 57 of the total 630 buses of its six depots in Khammam region due to the day-long bandh, sources said.
Congress senior leader and former Union Minister Renuka Chowdhury along with several party cadres pulled a tractor with ropes at VDO’s colony as a sign of protest against the rising prices of fuel.
Later, she took part in a novel demonstration staged by party cadres who dragged an autorickshaw using ropes, in the town.
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Congress deputy floor leader in the Legislative Council P. Sudhakar Reddy participated in a protest rally comprising a bullock cart.
TPCC working president M.B. Vikramarka staged a sit-in at the entrance of the bus stand along with several party cadres and the leaders of other Opposition parties.
CPI (M) district secretary N Nageswara Rao, CPI district secretary B Hemantha Rao and CPI (ML-ND) district secretary G Venkateshwarlu, TDP district secretary T Shivaiah and others took part in a rally-cum-demonstration.
In Wyra town, two bulls were made to drag a truck during a novel demonstration organised by the activists belonging to the Opposition parties in a symbolic protest against the skyrocketing fuel prices and its backbreaking burden on common man.
The demonstrators demanded the Central government immediately rein in the prices of fuel and bring the petrol and diesel under the GST regime to ease the burden on consumers.
Several arrested
: Responding to the bandh call given by Congress and Left parties against the steep hike in petrol and diesel charges, the erstwhile Medak district received a mixed response on Monday. Bandh was partial and peaceful.
Many of the educational institutes and petrol bunks remained closed. According to police, RTC services were partial at Siddipet and at several places all party leaders held dharnas in the mandal headquarters. At Komaravelli, Bejjanki Kuknoorpally, Dubbak, Chinnakodur and several other places, all party leaders were arrested and released in the evening. At Sangareddy, as many as 217 agitators were arrested by the police while they were trying to enforcing bandh.
A huge motor cycle rally was held by CPI (M) activists. They alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been helping the industrialists at the cost of the public.
‘Vanta varpu’ protest
The bandh was total and peaceful across the erstwhile Warangal district here on Monday.
Shops and establishments and educational institutions were closed for the day. Scores of party workers came onto the roads preventing buses from operating at bus stands at Hanamkonda and Warangal towns. They took out a motor cycle rally enforcing closure of all shops all over the tri-cities of Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet.
A ‘vanta varpu’, cooking on the main thoroughfare programme, was held at Kazipet junction by the Congress leaders. Addressing the gathering, District Congress Committee (DCC) president Naini Rajender Reddy criticised the BJP government for failing to bring petrol and diesel under the GST despite its much claimed slogan, one nation-one tax. When the price of one barrel crude oil was priced at 120 dollars, the price of diesel was ₹68.53 per litre.
However, when the price of one barrel reduced to 69.02 dollars, the price of diesel in India is over ₹78.39.
“Many States in the country are not levying tax on fuel like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat and Haryana. The amount of tax collected in Telangana is higher than many other States,” he pointed out.
Favouring oil companies
With only the Employees’ Union of the TSRTC workers participating in the bandh and the Mazdoor Union keeping away from it, a large number of buses plied as usual. The Youth Congress activists led by its Parliamentary constituency president P. Charan staged rastaroko at Kanteswar on Armoor road here on Monday, protesting against the hike in prices of diesel, petrol and LPG.
Another major reason for the partial response was that almost all the leaders of the Opposition parties were arrested and taken to police stations since early morning. Among those who were arrested included DCC president Taher Bin Hamdan, TDP president B. Baga Reddy, CPI district K. Bhoomaiah, CPI (M) leaders Gangadharappa, Noorjahan, Bhaskar and Sudhakar, V. Prabhakar and A. Papaiah (CPI-ML-New Democracy), TJAC, PDSU, SFI, AISF and NSUI leaders.
Arrests were also made in Kamareddy, Bodhan, Armoor, Banswada, Balkonda, Jukkal and other places.
Bandh near ‘total’
The Bharath Bandh call given by All-India Congress Committee in protest against the steep hike of petroleum products was near total in integrated Karimnagar district on Monday.
All the private educational institutions, business establishments, cinema halls, petrol filling stations, hotels, banks and post offices remained closed. However, the RTC services had a normal operation without any obstructions. State government offices functioned normally.
AICC secretary Srinivasan Krishnan, TPCC vice president Ponnam Prabhakar, DCC president K Mruthyunjayam were arrested when they arrived at the bus station complex to stop the buses.
Similarly, the Left parties’ leaders belonging to the CPI, CPM, AITUC and CITU leaders and TDP district unit leaders were also arrested and detained at the Police training college on the outskirts of Karimnagar town.
In Jagtial district, Jagtial legislator T. Jeevan Reddy protested by riding a bullock cart in protest against the petroleum products prices hike. The Congress leaders have also staged a dharna in front of the RTC bus station complex. However, the police have foiled their attempts to stop the buses.
In Peddapalli district, Former legislator and congress leader Ch Vijayaramana Rao along with his supporters participated in a bike rally and staged dharna on the Rajiv Rahadhari. They also set fire to an effigy belonging to the BJP government in Peddapalli town on Monday.
Bandh peaceful
The Bharat Bandh called by opposition parties was partial and peaceful in old united Adilabad district on Monday. Police stopped the agitators from confining the RTC buses to their depots.
Groups of workers belonging to Congress, left parties and Telugu Desam Party were seen moving in main streets in Adilabad, Kumram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial and Nirmal districts forcing shops to close down. The shops, however, opened in the afternoon and business was as usual.
While petrol bunks remained closed in some parts of urban areas, those along the highways were open and did brisk business.