NEW DELHI: Eight non-Congress, and non-BJP parties - including SP, CPI, CPM, BJD and TDP - have decided to called for a nationwide bandh on September 20 against a clutch of government decisions like allowing FDI in multi-brand retail, disinvestment in navratna companies, hike in diesel price and cut in subsidy on gas cylinders.

With NDA also all set to call for a bandh on the same day it is expected to be a success. NDA and the eight parties are coordinating informally. In a joint statement, the eight parties have appealed to the people to rise in protest against “anti-people measures”. Appeal has been made to farmers, workers, women, youth, transporters, traders organizations to join the bandh through hartals, picketing, demonstration and courting arrest. “We will not let government function till the decision in FDI in multi-brand retail is rolled back. Government’s FDI decision is going to ruin livelihood of more than four crore people,” a senior Left leader said, adding a nationwide coalition is being created.

The statement, signed by HD Deve Gowda (JD-S), Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP), Prakash Karat (CPM), Naveen Patnaik (BJD), Sudhakar Reddy (CPI), Chandrababu Naidu (TDP) and leaders of Revolutionary Socialist Party and Forward Bloc, said the UPA government has "stuck cruel blows on the people one after another". They listed out "anti-people" measures like hike in the price of diesel by Rs 5 per litre that would "stoke price rise and burden the farmers", limiting the number of subsidized gas cylinder per family to six a year and the rest to be bought at market price which is more than double. Multi-brand retail chains, the statement said, would endanger the livelihood of crores of people in retail trade. Sale of shares of profitable PSUs and navaratna companies like NALCO and Oil India is also unwarranted, the parties said.

