Frequent shutdowns over SC/ST Act, shut down over fuel prices, shut down over depreciation of the rupee. This shutdown aka Bharat Bandh seems like the latest trend in the opposition to disturbing the peace nationwide. The Congress party has fueled the Bharat Bandh over fuel prices and depreciation of rupees in not even the state, but all over the country. They claimed that this was a ‘volunteer shutdown’ by all the public institutions but it was nothing more than a ‘Dirty Politics’.
In reality, the capital city Jaipur continued to function on Monday like any normal day. The public institution, government offices, schools, retail businesses, and malls also remained open in Pink City. Even the Student Union election in the city universities and colleges overshadowed the Bharat Bandh.
The actual scenario of a ‘peaceful’ Bharat Bandh
Other than Jaipur, many places in the state faced sporadic incidents of violence by Congress worker as force shutdown. The Congress, however, called the bandh successful in Rajasthan. Here’s the list of the places where Congress and other opposition party workers force the shutdown on the people of the state-
- Bandh hooligans beat up retailers in Makrana town of Nagaur district and forced them to shut their shops down. The matter has been reported by the local police.
- People in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer condemned the Bandh by not shutting down the institutions. They counter the Bandh supporters by asking then burning questions like- ‘Where were you on September 6? Why did you come on September 10? It’s a matter of giving and take.’
- Markets in Kota, Bundi, Jhalawar, and Baran remained functioning like a normal day.
- The Bandh Vandals tried to force the shutdown in the most of the place in the state by blocking roads, jamming public transport, and beating up the retailers.
CM Raje slammed the Congress by a Series of Tweets
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje condemned the sporadic incidents of violence through a series of tweets-
आज विरोध की आड़ में कांग्रेस द्वारा देशभर में फैलाई गई अराजकता तथा कुछ राज्यों में हुई हिंसा व तोड़-फोड़ की घटनाओं की मैं कड़े शब्दों में निन्दा करती हूं। देश की शांति व्यवस्था को प्रभावित करने के उद्देश्य से किया गया विपक्षियों का #BharathBandh, #Rajasthan में पूरी तरह असफल रहा।
— Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) September 10, 2018
अपने प्रतिष्ठान दिन भर खुले रखने पर मैं #Rajasthan के सभी व्यापारी बंधुओं का आभार व्यक्त करती हूं। प्रदेशवासियों द्वारा बंद का समर्थन नहीं करने से साबित होता है कि जनता विनाश की राजनीति में नहीं बल्कि विकास की राजनीति में विश्वास करती है।#JaiJaiRajasthan
— Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) September 10, 2018
The Chief Minister showed the opposition an actual ‘peaceful’ way to express the objection. CM Raje tweeted Former Prime Minister Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s picture from the year 1973, when he reached the parliament riding a cart, which was supported by other parties by cycle ride, to express the objection on then fuel prices.
कांग्रेस को समझना चाहिए कि लोकतंत्र में हमें बेशक विरोध की आज़ादी है, लेकिन इस आज़ादी के साथ हमारी राष्ट्र के प्रति कई जिम्मेदारियां भी हैं। वर्ष 1973 में स्व. अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी ने पेट्रोल की बढ़ी कीमतों को लेकर बैलगाड़ी से संसद पहुंच सरकार के खिलाफ अपनी नाराजगी जाहिर की थी। pic.twitter.com/F3zMxW4EgZ
— Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) September 10, 2018
स्व. अटल जी द्वारा शांतिपूर्वक किए गए उस विरोध प्रदर्शन को अन्य विपक्षी पार्टियों का भी भरपूर समर्थन मिला और कई नेता साइकिल से संसद पहुंचे थे। इसलिए मुझे लगता है कांग्रेस को #BharatBandh करने की नहीं बल्कि अपनी नौटंकी बंद करने की जरूरत है।
— Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) September 10, 2018
Apart from Rajasthan, Congress-led Bharat Bandh disrupted normal life mainly in Bihar, Kerala, Karnataka, Assam and Odisha, and Mumbai. Bihar witnessed widespread arson, vandalism, violence, and disruption. Protesters blocked the roads and train routes. Amid this, a toddler died on the blocked way to hospital amid violent Bharat Bhandh by Congress. The Cong still calls it a ‘peaceful’ protest.
It should be noted that the people in different cities showed the mirror to the Bharat Bandh protesters by continuing their businesses. The Congress and the alliance are consoling each-other by calling the protest ‘voluntarily’ and ‘peaceful’ as people are in the no mood of giving them support.
