Oppn NDA, Left gear up to enforce 'Bharat Bandh' on Monday

New
Delhi, Jul 4 (PTI) Opposition National Democratic Alliance and Left parties
Sunday geared up to enforce a 'Bharat Bandh' on Monday in protest against
the fuel price hike but the Government firmly ruled out any roll-back and
slammed as unjustified the call for the nation-wide strike in India.
Authorities prepared to take all security measures to ensure there was no
untoward incident during the strike, as the Opposition parties tried to make
common cause in cornering the government as a build-up to a showdown during
the coming monsoon session of Parliament. Normal life is likely to be
affected though Emergency services will not be disrupted. Essential services
like milk, water, hospitals are exempt from participation in the bandh.
Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee ruled out a roll-back in the hike
in prices of petroleum products and LPG even as his colleague and Petroleum
Minister Murli Deora said bandh is "not a solution" and that it was
unjustfied. "No question of roll-back," Mukherjee told reporters in
eastern city Kolkata. In New Delhi, top leaders of Bharatiya Janata
Party-led NDA chalked out the strategy to enforce the bandh against fuel
hike and the government's "failure" to control price rise. "This may
be the first time in history of India's politics that almost all political
parties will participate in the Bharat Bandh," NDA Working Chairperson L K
Advani said after a meeting of the leaders. He gave credit to NDA
Convenor and JD(U) President Sharad Yadav for bringing together even the
non-NDA political parties for the one-day strike. The Left parties
have also given a separate call for a 'Bharat Bandh' Monday. Most of
the opposition parties minus Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Bahujan Samaj Party
(BSP), Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) are
participating in the bandh. The participating parties are BJP, Shiv
Sena, Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal-United (JD-U), Communist Party of
India-Marxist (CPI-M), CPI, Forward Block, Revolutionary Socialist Party
(RSP), All India Anna Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Pattali Makkal
Katchi (PMK), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (MDMK), Telugu Desam
Party (TDP), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), Asom Gana
Parishad (AGP), Akali Dal and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). In an
attempt to make the strike a success, BJP decided to send its senior leaders
out to various state capitals to lead demonstrations and protest marches.
Party president Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath Singh will lead the protest in New
Delhi. Yadav, who is also the working convenor of the NDA, also
claimed that the agitation would be "extraordinary and unprecedented" as the
people were "completely fed-up" with price rise. The Petroleum
Ministry released advertisments in newspapers to send a message that the
"Bharat Bandh" is not a solution. "Even after the price increase, the
Government will bear a financial burden of approximately Rs 53,000 crore
during 2010-11," it said. Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjeev Dayal
said all security measures have been taken to ensure no untoward incident
takes place. "Anyone who takes law into their hands and attempts to
paralyse the city shall be dealt with strictly," warned Dayal. As the
suburban trains are likely to be targeted by protestors supporting bandh,
adequate number of Railway policemen would be deployed at stations for
smooth functioning of service, police said. PTI TEAM RBT



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