Bharat Bandh evokes good response in district
Agitators prepare pakoda on road and distribute them
Chikmagaluru, September 10: Bharat bandh called by the Congress and other opposition parties across the country condemning the price hike of petroleum products and essential commodities on Monday evoked good response in the district. The bandh was total and peaceful.
Shops and business establishments downed their shutters since morning. KSRTC buses were stayed off the roads. In some places, the agitators convinced the shop-keepers to close the doors of their shops. Petrol bunks and cinema theaters voluntarily supported the bandh and closed their business.
Bandh received good response even in the city. All business establishments, hotels, shops, petrol bunks were closed. Though post office and other offices were opened in the morning, they downed their shutters after the agitators sought their cooperation for the bandh and convinced them. As the deputy commissioner declared holiday for schools and colleges on Sunday, the students did not turn up towards the schools and colleges on Monday. The agitators who passed on in all roads were seen closing the shops and business establishments which were functioning in the morning.
Few autos were seen on the roads. When some lorries and maxi-cabs were seen moving on the roads, agitators appealed them stay off the roads as there is Bharat Bandh. At Hanumanthappa Circle, the agitators released the air of an auto and cab tyres and stopped them at the circle.
Prepared pakoda
In view of the Bharat Bandh, the agitators cooked pakoda at Hanumanthappa circle during bandh and protested the fuel price hike differently. The agitators prepared hearth with the help of bricks on the road, put frying pan on it and cooked pakoda and prepared tea and coffee and distributed them to the general public and police. They distributed pakoda and tea shouting as Modi pakoda and Modi tea. Former MLC A.V Gayathri Shante Gowda, CPI leader Radha Sundaresh, BSP leader K.T Radhakrishna and others prepared the pakoda and tea.
As there was no traffic movement in the roads, Kannada Rakshana Vedike and CPI workers played cricket at Hanumanthappa circle for some time. The bandh was total in Tarikere, Kaduru, Mudigere, Sringeri and Koppa taluks of the district. When the Congress workers forced the shop owners to shut the shops at Balehonnur, shop owner and the party workers engaged in verbal duals and the agitators attacked the shop owner. Apart from this untoward incident, the bandh was almost peaceful in the district.
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“Full prepared..going to win,” Congress MP KC Venugopal ahead of Kerala polls
EC not functioning as a neutral institution: Venugopal
Congress MP K. C. Venugopal on Monday raised concerns over the election schedule announced by the Election Commission of India for the upcoming Kerala Assembly election, questioning the timing of the poll dates and alleging that the schedule leaves limited time for campaigning.
Speaking to news agency ANI in Delhi after the poll panel announced elections in five states and Union Territories, Venugopal said that the Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF) are fully prepared for the elections and confident of victory. At the same time, he questioned the pattern of dates announced by the Election Commission.
“We are fully prepared, we are going to win the elections... You can see how the Election Commission has set the dates. The first phase of elections is on the 9th, nominations are due until the 23rd, scrutiny is on the 24th, nominations can be withdrawn until the 26th, and after that, there are 11 days for campaigning,” he said.
“As for Kerala, there is Easter and Good Friday in the first week...The Election Commission could have announced the dates earlier... The counting date is on May 4th, so what was the point of holding elections in Kerala so early? What is their intention behind holding elections on the same day in Kerala, Puducherry, and Assam?... We are confident that we will win, but the people of the country are seeing the biased attitude of the Election Commission...,” he added.
He further stated that his party was ready for elections irrespective of the dates announced by the poll body.
“We are going to win the election. India's strategy has been set up. And we are all ready for winning this election. But one thing as far as declaring election, even though they are giving only for five days, we are going to win the election. We have no problem,” he said.
Detailing the poll schedule while questioning the time available for campaigning, he stated, “but you can see the pattern of date which the election commission announced. Yesterday they declared election, and today they notified us. The first phase of election on April 9th, filing of nomination will be over on the 23rd of this month, 24th scrutiny, 26th withdrawal of nomination. After 26, four plus seven, 11 days campaign.”
“As far as Kerala is concerned, April first week is a holy week. The holiday week means, Good Friday is there. Nobody will do anything on Good Friday. Easter is the big festival. These festivals are natural, you have to see that. Among the 11 days, working days, two, three days will go for holidays. Then hardly seven, eight days for campaigning in this election for candidates,” the Congress MP questioned.
The Congress leader said the Election Commission could have announced the dates earlier if there was a need for an early election schedule.
Questioning the urgency behind placing Kerala in the first phase of polling, he added that the counting date is much later.
“Which is the date of counting? Fourth May. Then what is the urgency of putting Kerala in the first phase without giving sufficient time for candidates? And putting Kerala, Puducherry, Assam together, what is the intention behind that?” Venugopal questioned.
He also alleged that the Election Commission was not functioning as a neutral institution.
“The Election commission is completely losing that capacity as a neutral player. You can see 14 of our prime minister's programs over and on the 15th they announce the election, 16th notification comes,” he said.
Venugopal further stated that such tactics would not affect the Congress’ prospects in the election.
“They think that this type of techniques and tactics, because of these techniques and tactics, UDF is going to lose, and Congress is going to lose. This is their complete dream only. This is not going to happen. We are very much confident at any cost, whether they are not giving any time also, we are going to win the election,” he said.
“But the people of India are watching this. The tricks of the election commission. To restrict the campaign, people of India are watching. This I want to bring into the notice of the nation. That's all,” Venugopal said.
The Election Commission of India on Sunday announced the schedule for the Kerala Assembly election. Polling in the state will be held in a single phase on April 9 while the counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 4.
