A qualified engineer, CP Rizwan is a technically correct batsman who can also take wickets with his part-time spin
- ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2018
Gearing up for a general election less than nine months away and assembly elections expected in some states later this year, opposition parties banded together to organise their first protest action in a joint campaign to stir discontent with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government.
- ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2018
- ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2018
Taxes on petrol and diesel, which account for more than a third of retail fuel prices, are one of the biggest sources of income for the government, and one of the most emotive issues for voters.
Past governments have usually lowered taxes whenever international oil prices shot up, but Modi's administration has made little concession so far.
- ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2018
- ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2018
- ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2018
Parbhani District Petrol Dealers Association (PDPDA) President Sanjay Deshmukh said that while petrol was nearly touching the psychological barrier of Rs 90 per litre, (Rs 89.97), diesel prices stood at Rs 77.92 on Monday.
Elsewhere in Maharashtra, petrol was Rs 88 and diesel at Rs 76, said All India Petrol Dealers Association (AIPDA) spokesperson Ali Daruwala, besides various local tax additions.
The all-India anti-fuel price hike shutdown got underway in different parts of Maharashtra with all parties, barring the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena, joining in wholeheartedly.
Maharashtra Congress President Ashok Chavan and Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam led thousands of activists to stage a noisy protest outside the Andheri station bus depot, and later they got down on the railway tracks, shouting anti-government slogans.
Several leaders including former ministers Naseem Khan, Manikrao Thakre, Suresh Shetty, joined the agitation as police maintained strict security at Andheri.
However, suburban trains, BEST buses, schools and colleges functioned normally, though shops and commercial establishments downed shutters in many localities, including pockets where the opposition is influential.
Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists also led aggressive protests in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Pune, Nashik and others areas of the state.
As per preliminary reports, the shutdown has elicited mixed response in urban centres, but widespread support in the semi-urban and rural hinterland which have been badly hit by the spiraling fuel prices.
The shutdown has been supported by Nationalist Congress Party, Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (S), RPI (G), Peasant and Workers Party, Left Parties, Swabhimani Shetkari Party, Peoples Republican Party.
Bus services were affected since early morning in both the Telugu states. Many private educational institutions also remained closed.
Activists of the Congress and the Left parties launched a sit-in at the depots of state road transport corporations to prevent buses from plying on the roads.
Leaders of Congress, Left parties, Jana Sena and trade unions affiliated to them were arrested in Hyderabad and other towns in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretaries Saleem Ahmed and Srinivasan Krishnan led the protests in Mahabubnagar and Karimnagar.
Ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana is not supporting the shutdown call.
- ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2018
Though Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is also not officially supporting the shutdown, its activists in both the states joined the protests against rise in prices of petrol and diesel.
Raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the protestors took to streets, staging road blockades and organising rallies.
Banks and commercial establishments were largely opened while shops in some towns of Himachal Pradesh were closed on the protest call by the Congress over the rise in fuel prices.
Additional security have been deployed all across the state to maintain law and order.
A qualified engineer, CP Rizwan is a technically correct batsman who can also take wickets with his part-time spin
The defeats are a jolt to a full-strength Pakistan side in their preparations for the Twenty20 World Cup
With his famous stepfather Tommy Fleetwood on his bag, Dubai’s Oscar Craig shoots a promising first round 69
Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh bag four key wickets to secure a 35-run victory in Hyderabad
The patient had endured years of severe pain and debilitating health complications due to the tumour
The concert is set to take place on April 27
Move aims to amplify Zambia’s renewable energy capacity
More vertiports will be set up in strategic locations across Abu Dhabi, including major business hubs and tourism destinations