Jammu, Sep 20: The 12-hour bandh called by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the left parties on Thursday crippled life in Jammu region with business establishments and other commercial activities being hit.
The bandh was called to protest against FDI in retail sector, increase in prices of diesel and cut in LPG subsidy. Vehicular movement was paralyzed in Jammu and other major towns of the region in response to the opposition-sponsored all-India shutdown between 6 am and 6 pm.
The nationwide shutdown was called by NDA and was supported by Panthers Party, Jammu Mukti Morcha, and Communist Party of India-Marxist, besides some social, religious, and transport organizations here. All shops in the city remained closed throughout the day, while the commercial vehicles were also off the roads.
Some private schools had declared a holiday, while the shutdown also affected exam schedule of Jammu University. In absence of commuter transport, attendance in government offices, schools and banks was very thin.
Early in the morning, workers of political organization including BJP, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), Communist Party of India CPI (M), Bhartiya Chaitanya Party (BCP), Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and Shiv Sena Dogra Front held protest demonstrations and rallies across the city to express their anger against the union government’s move.
BJP activists, led by state president Shamsher Singh Manhas, took out a rally in Jammu city, raising anti-government slogans.
NPP organized protest demonstration outside Press Club Jammu, while CPI (M) activists held protest demonstration at Exhibition Ground.
Police had made additional security deployment across the city to ensure peace during the strike.
Addressing party workers BJP state president, Shamsher Singh Manhas demanded rollback of price hike and added, “There should be rollback in the price of diesel and also policy on LPG. Congress-led UPA government has taken grossly anti-people steps and today’s nation wide strike is testimony of the fact that the general masses were severely against the policies” he said.
Addressing the protesters at Exhibition Ground Jammu, Regional Secretary of CPI (M) Sham Prasad Kesar said, “The Indian retail sector is the second largest employer in India after agriculture, employing over 4 Crores persons. The entry of MNC chains would cause severe displacement of the small and unorganized retailers”.
He further said that Wallmart has 9826 retail stores across the world and it employs only 21 lack employees, the average number of employees are 214 per store only.
“Clearly there will be severe job crisis in country”, he said adding, “Moreover the earlier estimate suggests that for every job created in the supermarket, around 17 jobs will be lost in the Indian unorganized retail sector. Therefore, in case 4 millions job are created in the supermarkets over the next 3 years, the entire domestic retail sector in India, over 40 million will get completely wiped out”.
While lambasting the Union government, General Secretary of CITU, Om Parkash said that the excuse of Oil companies of incurring losses was totally false. “The oil and natural gas giant ONGC, declared a net profit of Rs. 25,123 crores for the year 2011-12. For the next quarter ending June 30, 2012, it has reported a further growth in profit of 48.4 per cent. The IOC has reported a net profit of Rs. 4,265.27 crores for 2011-12” he claimed, and rued that the government was playing in the hands of MNC’s and have virtually pushed the common man on verge of starvation.
Addressing the party workers, JKNPP MLA Harshdev Singh said that the Congress government has failed on all fronts and people were being forced to come on roads. “Congress leadership is ridden with corruption and scams”, he alleged and demanded complete rollback in the price of diesel and also new policy of LPG.
The strike call had partial impact in other towns of the region including Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi, Kishtwar, Samba and Vijaypur.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 20 Sep 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 20 Sep 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 21 Sep 2012 00:00:00 IST