By IANS,
New Delhi : Many major markets in the capital were closed for several hours Friday but city life remained unaffected during the daylong shutdown the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called to protest the rising prices of essential items and hike in the bus and Metro fares.
The party’s Delhi unit claimed that the shutdown was successful and peaceful. BJP leaders and supporters demonstrated at several places across Delhi, including Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Tilak Nagar, Vikas Marg, Greater Kailash and Janakpuri.
The protesters raised slogans and carried banners. Many had anti-price rise placards hung from their necks. Effigies symbolising the Delhi government were burnt at quite a few places.
Delhi BJP president Om Prakash Kohli, senior party leaders V.K. Malhotra, Vijay Goel, Madan Lal Khurana, former Delhi BJP chief Harshvardhan, Jagdish Mukhi, Subash Arya and Praveen Khandelwal took part in the protests.
A party leader said major city markets remained closed — among them Ajmal Khan Road, Rajender Nagar, Patel Nagar, Kamla Nagar, Naraina industrial area, Janakpuri, Malviya Nagar, South Extension, Lajpat Nagar, Kalkaji, Rohini, Shalimar Bagh, Pitampura, Ashok Vihar and Green Park.
“Everyone, including the local shopkeepers, supported the shutdown,” the BJP leader said.
But city residents said normal life was not affected by the shutdown and that the shops in most places were closed only for a few morning hours.
“The shops in Vikas Puri and Tilak Nagar were only closed for a brief period when BJP leaders were there. After that shops reopened. It was not like the earlier times when Delhi used to come to a halt during shutdowns,” said Anuradha Sharma, a resident of west Delhi.
The BJP’s demands included a rollback of the hike in bus and Metro fares, an inquiry into the bungling in sugar sale, strengthening of the public distribution system (PDS) and that the government make all essential consumer goods available through the PDS at reasonable rates.
Traders led by BJP leader Praveen Khandelwal walked without shirts in a protest march from the Red Fort to the Town Hall in Chandni Chowk area.
Delhi BJP chief O.P. Kohli said: “Today’s Delhi bandh has proved that there is great acrimony among the people against price rise and they hold the central government and the Congress government of Delhi responsible for this.”
The party had, however, kept essential services and transport out of the shutdown’s purview.