People not supporting Oppn's bandh call, oil price rise due to global factors: BJP ## People not supporting Oppn's bandh call, oil price rise due to global factors: BJP

The BJP Monday defended the rise in oil prices, attributing it to global factors, and accused the Congress and other opposition parties of resorting to violence during the 'Bharat Bandh' as people did not support their call.

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad acknowledged that the people were facing "momentary difficulty" due to increasing petrol and diesel prices and said they understand that this was due to factors beyond the control of the central government.

Noting that oil prices had gone down after the Bharatiya Janata Party government came to power in May 2014, before they went up, he said it is a problem whose solution is not in its hands.

"We are standing with people in their problem. We are trying to redress the issue and will do that," he told a press conference.

Prasad claimed that the people understood the government's point of view and refused to support the 'Bharat Bandh' call given by the Congress and several other opposition parties.

"That is unnerving the Congress and other opposition parties. Their resort to violence is designed to overawe the people of India. An atmosphere of fear is being created," he said.

Citing the death of a three-year old girl in Bihar as she could not get medical help in time due to pro-Bandh protesters allegedly stopping an ambulance, he asked if Congress president Rahul Gandhi will take responsibility for this.

Hitting out at the Congress and other opposition parties, Prasad said they should stop this "dance of violence and game of death".

Normal life was hit in some states Monday with offices and educational institutes closed and vehicles off the roads during an opposition sponsored 'Bharat Bandh', which was largely peaceful, barring some incidents of violence.

The ruling party in a first extensive briefing on the rise in oil prices highlighted the government's expenditure on a number of welfare schemes, in an attempt to show that the revenue it has earned from taxes on petroleum products has been used for "pro-poor" measures.

Prasad said the government spends over Rs 1.62 lakh crore on subsidised food, lakhs of crores of rupees on building national highways and rural roads, and has given over one crore houses to the rural poor.

It has also spent thousands of crores on rural employment guarantee schemes among others, he said.

Our government is not a "family-run" dispensation, he said, taking a dig at the Congress, and claimed that it has been working for the poor and lifted over 5 crore people from extreme poverty.

He also dismissed allegations levelled by Gandhi against the government, saying the country is most worried when the Congress president speaks.

Referring to global factors behind the oil price rise, he cited the decision of several oil-producing countries to reduce supply, the political instability in Venezuela and the US sanctions on Iran.

Asked if the government can cut down on excise duty to bring down the prices, Prasad said it was done last year.

He said states can also cut down taxes levied by them, but added that it should be left to their wisdom as they also spend money on welfare schemes.

Oil prices, he said, had also gone up during the UPA government's rule with the cost of a litre of petrol going up from Rs 39 to Rs 71.

Government sources said the price of petrol had gone up by 20.5 per cent between May 2004 and May 2009, the UPA's first term, and then by 75.48 per cent in the next first years of its rule.

They added that its cost during the Modi government's rule has gone up by only 13 per cent as it moved from Rs 71.41 to Rs 80.73. These prices are of Delhi.

The Congress has, however, said oil prices rose during the UPA as international crude cost was much higher than what it is during the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

Prasad said the NDA government has brought down the inflation rate to 4.7 per cent from the 10.4 per cent it was during the UPA.

He also challenged Manmohan Singh, who was prime minister between 2004 and 2014, for a debate on the country's economy in Parliament.

Responding to Singh's criticism of the government's economic policies, he said the Congress leader should leave the job of making stray remarks to Gandhi and engage in a constructive debate with him.

Sept 10, 2018 5:47 PM

Ashok Gehlot of Congress party says, the people wilfully participated in the bandh ## Ashok Gehlot of Congress party says, the people wilfully participated in the bandh

Sept 10, 2018 4:53 PM

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah questions the Bharat Bandh ## National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah questions the Bharat Bandh

Sept 10, 2018 4:50 PM

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah questions the Bharat Bandh ## National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah questions the Bharat Bandh

Sept 10, 2018 4:26 PM

Shashi Tharoor blames Modi govt for massive central excise duty on fuel##Shashi Tharoor blames Modi govt for massive central excise duty on fuel

Sept 10, 2018 4:02 PM

Business as usual for Congress-ruled Mizoram on 'Bharat Bandh'##Business as usual for Congress-ruled Mizoram on 'Bharat Bandh'

Shops, offices and educational institutions were open in Congress-ruled Mizoram on Monday as there was no impact of the 'Bharat Bandh' anywhere in the state, officials said. Neither the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) nor the opposition parties joined the nation-wide bandh called by the Congress and supported by 21 political parties protesting against the unprecedented rise in fuel prices. MPCC vice president and state home minister R. Lalzirliana told PTI that not even a meeting on the issue was convened and no discussion was held to join the 'Bharat Bandh' in the state. (PTI)

Sept 10, 2018 3:27 PM

Left leaders Sitaram Yechury, D Raja earlier seen protesting in Delhi##Left leaders Sitaram Yechury, D Raja earlier seen protesting in Delhi

Sept 10, 2018 3:19 PM

Gujarat: Congress's Bharat Bandh gets mixed response, 300 detained##Gujarat: Congress's Bharat Bandh gets mixed response, 300 detained

The Congress' Bharat Bandh to protest against skyrocketing fuel prices evoked a mixed response in Gujarat with the party calling the shutdown successful while the police claimed it had no major impact. Police said that over 300 Congress functionaries were detained across the state, including state party chief Amit Chavda and Gujarat party in-charge Rajiv Satav from Lal Darwaja area here. Schools were shut in areas including Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Mehsana and there were reports of Congress workers forcing petrol pumps to down shutters in some parts of the state. In Rajkot, government schools remained open while private schools declared a holiday. Roads in some areas, including Chhotaudepur and Surat, were blocked with burning tyres by protesting Congress workers while bus services were affected in many areas like Rajkot, Amreli and Ahmedabad. (PTI)

Sept 10, 2018 3:10 PM

MP Congress calls Bharat Bandh successful, BJP dubs it anarchic##MP Congress calls Bharat Bandh successful, BJP dubs it anarchic

The Madhya Pradesh unit of the Congress has called the party’s Bharat Bandh shutdown successful, but the ruling BJP has accused the former of adopting "anarchic" ways to intimidate people to enforce the bandh. In Bhopal, a flower shop owned by Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's son Kartikey was at the centre of a protest by Congress workers. The Congress also claimed that the bandh got full support of the people of Jhabua. In a symbolic protest in Jabalpur, Congress workers set ablaze a junk car, said Congress leader Dinesh Yadav.

The BJP, meanwhile, called the Congress' behaviour during the bandh as "anarchic" and "naxal like". "The Congress adopted anarchic and violent ways to intimidate people. Despite the opposition's efforts, the bandh failed. The Congress is desperate to get back in power using violence, which is naxal-like thinking," claimed state BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal. (PTI)

Sept 10, 2018 2:55 PM

Global factors behind rising fuel prices, solution not in our hands: BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad##Global factors behind rising fuel prices, solution not in our hands: BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad

The BJP on Monday said the problem being faced by the people because of rising fuel prices were momentary and caused by global factors. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also hit out at the Congress and its allies, alleging that they resorted to violence during the Bharat Bandh due to lack of support from the masses. He told the media that the hike in oil prices was caused by limited supply. "We are standing with the people in their concern, but this is a problem whose solution is not in our hands," he said. The Modi government has worked a lot to bring down inflation and has achieved success as well, Prasad said, adding that inflation was 10.4 percent between 2009-14 of UPA rule and is now 4.7 percent. (PTI)

Sept 10, 2018 2:47 PM

Protests Witnessed in West Uttar Pradesh##Protests Witnessed in West Uttar Pradesh

Mathura witnessed a successful bandh called by the Congress and normal life appeared to be hit by the protests. All dairies and small kiosks on the Holi gate square were closed. Former Congress Legislature Party leader in the UP assembly Pradeep Mathur was leading the protests here. Stray protests were also witnessed in Jaunpur, Gorakhpur, Amroha, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Etawah, Mainpuri and Kanpur. Police was on high alert across the state to ensure that there was no violence or vandalism during the Bharat Bandh. (News18)

Sept 10, 2018 2:35 PM

SDO Jehanabad Paritosh Kumar rejects reports that a child's death not related to Bharat Bandh##SDO Jehanabad Paritosh Kumar rejects reports that a child's death not related to Bharat Bandh

Sept 10, 2018 1:31 PM

Bharat Bandh: Train services affected in Odisha##Bharat Bandh: Train services affected in Odisha

Train services were disrupted in many places of Odisha as Congress workers blocked railway tracks to enforce the 'Bharat Bandh' called by the party to protest rising fuel prices Monday. The party workers staged dharna and blocked railway tracks in many places including Bhubaneswar, Khurda Road, Puri, Berhampur, Sambalpur and Balasore to enforce the bandh from 6 am to 3 pm. At least 10 trains were cancelled in the jurisdiction of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) in view of the 'Bharat Bandh', an ECoR official said.

Vehicular movement also came to a grinding halt in many places as Congress workers resorted to road blockade at various junctions in places such as Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur and Khurda, they said. The impact of bandh was also felt in the tourist destination of Konark as bandh supporters locked the ticket counter of the famous Sun Temple. Shops, markets, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed across the state during the 9-hour shut-down, while attendance was thin in offices. (PTI)

Sept 10, 2018 1:18 PM

Who's responsible for loss of lives and property, asks Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad##Who's responsible for loss of lives and property, asks Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Sept 10, 2018 1:04 PM

Bharat Bandh: Offices, schools and colleges open at regular time in Delhi##Bharat Bandh: Offices, schools and colleges open at regular time in Delhi

Offices, schools and colleges in the national capital opened at their regular time despite the 'Bharat Bandh' called by the Congress to protest against the hike in petrol and diesel prices. Heavy police deployment was made in the national capital with reserve police forces, and motorcycle patrols were put on high alert, a senior police officer said. The officer said police personnel have been deployed at petrol pumps across Delhi to ensure no untoward incident takes place. Traffic was affected in Daryaganj and around Ramlila Maidan due to the protest and commuters faced problems in reaching their destinations as the cab companies had hiked their fares. Meanwhile, AAP leaders staged a protest at Jantar Mantar against the fuel price hike. (PTI)

Sept 10, 2018 12:56 PM

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