BJP, Left call Nationwide bandh on May 31
Source: The Sangai Express / Press Trust of India

New Delhi, May 24 2012: The steepest-ever hike in petrol prices fuelled protests in several parts of the country today, as Opposition NDA and the Left gave a call for a nation-wide bandh on May 31, dubbing the price increase a "savage attack" on the people.

In an action plan where the Left and the right will come together to demand a rollback of the "anti-people" decision, the BJP-led NDA gave a 'Bharat Bandh' call for May 31 while Left parties will observe the day as 'All India Protest Day' that will include strikes, picketing, rasta roko and rallies against the hike.

A dawn-to dusk hartal called separately by LDF and BJP in Kerala partially affected normal life across the state.

Protests were also reported at some places in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.

The announcement for the Bharat Bandh, which was also called in protest against the rise in prices of essential commodities, was made both by senior BJP leader L K Advani and JD(U) President Sharad Yadav in their capacity as NDA's acting chairman and convenor respectively.

A rally organised by AITF at Imphal

BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said that after consultation with all the allies Advani on behalf of the NDA has announced that the opposition alliance will organise a bandh across the country in the wake of the "enormous" hike of petrol prices and the deep sense of anger among people.

The BJP appealed to the people to make the bandh a great success with Advani saying the hike is an "anti-people move" by the government.

Rejecting Government's argument that the hike has been effected by petroleum companies as the pricing of petrol stands deregulated, Yadav said, "This is an eyewash...

We (NDA) are going to observe a Bharat Bandh on May 31" .

Demanding a roll back, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray said a Bharat bandh is "acceptable" to the party.

Reports from different districts in Kerala said shops remained closed in cities and towns and private buses were largely off the roads.

Private vehicles are plying and no violence has been reported from anywhere, police said.

Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh including Telugu Desam, CPM and CPI and BJP staged protests in Vijayawada city and in towns in Krishna district.

In Jammu, the city's BJP unit led by district president Rajesh Gupta took out a protest march riding on the horse cart.

Protests were also reported in Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Kanpur and Gurgaon.

In the national capital, CPI (M) activists staged a protest near Parliament House demanding a rollback.

Carrying party flags and placards, the activists staged a march from Vithalbhai Patel House, close to Parliament House, to hold the demonstration.

CPI activists staged a protest at Jantar Mantar.

In a press statement, the Left parties, CPI-M, CPI, RSP strongly condemned the steep increase in the price of petrol.

This is a savage attack on the people, who are already suffering from the effects of continuous price rise of all essential commodities...In order to build a sustained movement to demand a rollback of price hike, Left parties have decided to observe an All India Protest Day on May 31," it said.

CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat said a steep hike in the petrol price was expected.

"That is why we said yesterday that Government should not increase the prices otherwise we would conduct all India protests.

We will continue the protests till we get the government to roll back the prices," Karat told reporters.

He said that the Left has called for a hartal in different states.

"We are having different protest actions," Karat said.

Sources in the Opposition camp said that efforts are also on in rope in the UPA allies like Trinamool Congress and DMK to support the bandh.

The allies opposed the fuel price hike yesterday.

Sharad Yadav has also talked to SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav in this regard, while attempt is on to take BJD and AIADMK also on board for the May 31 agitations, the sources said.

Samajwadi Party is supporting the UPA government from outside.