Bharat Bandh: Congress leaders block rail traffic in Maharashtra

Protesting against the rising fuel prices in various parts of Maharashtra in response to the Bharat Bandh, the Congress party has blocked several rail routes in the state. In Monday’s bandh, the party has got the support of 21 regional parties across the country.

However, in the state, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), the Samajwadi Party, the Peasants and Workers’ Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are supporting the bandh.

Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan led the front of the protest in Mumbai by in travelling a local train to Andheri station and then staging a rail roko there. Along with him, other party leaders like Manikrao Thakare and Naseem Khan joined the protests and raised slogans against the Narendra Modi and Devendra Fadnavis government.

Speaking to the reporters, Chavan said, “The Modi and Fadnavis governments have engaged in loot by levying excise charges (on fuel products). It is unjust. It is destroying the lives of people. Hence, we are observing this protest. We demand withdrawal of the fuel price hike.”

The party leaders were detained after protesting at Andheri station and were taken to nearby DN Nagar Police Station in suburban Andheri by security personnel.

Protests were also observed in Pune, Manmad, Nashik, Kolhapur, Pandharapur (Solapur district) and Virar (Palghar district). Some reports of vandalism were also reported from Pune by the MNS leaders.

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