The nation-wide bandh called by the Opposition parties saw mixed responses in the state and several top leaders, including former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, were arrested during protests on Monday.
Cutting across ideologies, all Opposition parties came on a common platform and protested the hike in the prices of petroleum products and of essential commodities.
Director general of police Mr R. R. Girish Kumar said, “The situation in the state is peaceful and the bandh passed off without any major incidents.”
Telugu Desam, CPI and the CPI(M) have warned that agitations will continue till the Centre rolls back the price hike. Though the TRS did not participate in the dharna, it extended support to the other parties in view of the bypolls.
Apart from Mr Naidu, several other prominent leaders like Mr Raghavulu of CPM, Mr Narayana of CPI, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu, Mr B. Dattatreya and Mr G. Kishan Reddy of BJP were taken into preventive custody under Section 151 CrPC and later released.
The Opposition leaders protested at Ameerpet, RTC cross roads and Khairatabad junctions and blocked the traffic. Mr Chandrababu Naidu, who was arrested at Ameerpet cross roads, staged a dharna in front of the Banjara Hills police station. He said that the hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG had hit consumers, especially the poor, hard and the government should immediately withdraw the hike. Tensions prevailed in Ameerpet as TD workers protested Mr Naidu’s arrest.
The price of petrol in Hyderabad is the highest in the country due to high taxes. While Hyderabadis pay 33.3 per cent tax on petrol, people in West Bengal and New Delhi pay only 12.5 per cent, Mr Naidu said.