Bharat bandh on 20th September 2012

Bharat bandh on 20th September 2012

BJP-led NDA will hold a country-wide protest or "Bharat Bandh" on 20th September 2012 protesting against the central government's decision to hike diesel price and allow FDI in multi-brand retail. Announcing the alliance's decision here, BJP leader LK Advani said, "The NDA on Sep 15 decided to hold a nation-wide strike on 20th of this month. I am sure that the suffocation felt by the people for a long time is about to come to an end."

In a joint statement, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav along with Left parties, JD(S), BJD and TDP alleged that the UPA government has "stuck cruel blows on the people one after another" by raising diesel price, limiting subsidised cooking gas, opening up of multi-brand retail and disinvestment of PSUs. "Let us all unite to stop these measures which will further burden the people and ruin their livelihood. Let there be a powerful protest on September 20 through hartals, picketing, demonstrations and court arrest programmes," the statement said. Besides Yadav, the statement was signed by H D Deve Gowda (JD-S), Prakash Karat (CPI-M), S Sudhakar Reddy (CPI), Naveen Patnaik (BJD), Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), Debabrata Biswas (Forward Bloc) and T J Chandrachoodan (RSP). BJP-led NDA separately announced that it will hold a nation-wide strike on the same day, September 20, to demand rollback of FDI in multi-brand retail and the Rs 5 hike in diesel prices.