BJP’s Day Long Bandh Paralyses Life in WB
Life in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal was partially influenced on Monday by a 12-hour bandh called by the BJP in protest against inflation.
Police said that BJP workers stopped public transport vehicles and demonstrated on Howrah Bridge, disrupting traffic movement during peak office hours.
Besides, the movement of trains was also affected. At the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport, pre-paid taxis kept off the roads.
Police said that 14 BJP workers were arrested for staging a blockade near the busy Rabindra Sadan crossing in central Kolkata and some from Howrah district for staging a sit-in. In addition, they ransacked several offices at Rajarhat, including in the IT Sector at Salt Lake, said reports.
“We’ve called the 12-hour shutdown in West Bengal protesting the price rise of essential commodities and electricity prices. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is totally indifferent about these basic issues,” BJP state vice president Sabyasachi Bagchi was quoted as saying by IANS.
Reports also suggest that BJP workers burnt buses, smashed windscreens of cars and tried to prevent shops from opening at different areas of Kolkata.
Last week a 12-hour bandh was called to protest against inflation and other issues by Socialist Unity Centre of India. But it had no effect on public life.
But on Monday bandh supporters started imposing the bandh right in the morning.
