Bharat Bandh: 21 Opposition parties extend support to Congress

* Addressing the protesters in the capital, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that the entire opposition has joined hands to oust the Modi government. The Congress chief also lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his 'silence' on crucial issues of national importance. "Narendra Modi ji is silent, he has not spoken a word on rising prices of fuel, or condition of farmers, neither on atrocities against women," he was quoted as saying by ANI.* Earlier, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the BJP government at Centre has taken several steps which were not in the interest of the nation. "The time to change this government will come soon," he said.*Early on Monday morning, Congress president Rahul Gandhi arrived at Rajghat in the national capital to kick off the nationwide bandh . The Congress chief is expected to stage a two-km-long march from Rajghat towards Ramlila Maidan as part of the protest.* According to the Congress, 21 opposition parties are supporting its call for nationwide bandh, besides a number of chambers of commerce and traders' associations.* Parties that have extended their support to Congress include former PM HD Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular), Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM(S), Samajwadi Party, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Communist Party of India (Marxist), M K Stalin's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) among others.* While the Congress has called for 6-hour bandh from 9 am, the CPM-led Left Front has called a 12-hour bandh starting from 6 am. Major city administrations have announced advisories for the ' Bharat Bandh ' as the state governments take measures to ensure minimal disruption to daily life.* Among the major issues that Congress is protesting against are the hike in fuel prices, demand to bring petrol and diesel under GST, a depreciating rupee and the demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the alleged irregularities in the Rafale deal.* Congress accused BJP of favouring industrialists. "It is very unfortunate that in the national executive meeting of the BJP, discussions were held only on elections and how they could be won using management. No discussions were held on the plight of the people who are facing spiralling prices of petrol, diesel and LPG. This shows the anti-people mindset of the BJP," UP Congress chief Raj Babbar said on the eve of the bandh.* Calling the Congress a "sinking ship of corruption", the government attacked the other parties who have extended their support for the today's bandh. "The Congress is a sinking ship of corruption, and all those who support the party will sink with it. A prime example is Uttar Pradesh where the Samajwadi Party tried its luck. Similarly, in West Bengal also, the Communist party was humbled at the hustings," said Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.* Shiv Sena has decided to not participate in the bandh. Spurning a Congress request to participate in the bandh, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that his party is looking at the bandh 'neutrally'.