Bharat Bandh: MLAs in Uttarakhand cycle their way to Assembly in protest against price rise

Three BJP MLAs on Thursday cycled their way to the Uttarakhand Assembly to register their protest against spiralling prices of essential commodities. Banshidhar Bhagat (Kaldhungi), Arvind Pandey (Gadarpur) and Sahdev Pundir (Sahaspur) reached the Assembly in the morning. "We are registering our protest as the prices of all commodities are sky-rocketing. How can a poor man survive in our nation," asked Pandey. Joining their party's nationwide call for bandh today over petrol price rise, the MLAs urged the Prime Minister to roll back the hike in petrol price. Meanwhile, all business and commercial activities remained closed in Kotdwara in response to the Bharat Bandh call of BJP. At Kotdwara, Srinagar and Pauri, BJP workers marched in procession to show their anger against petrol price hike, whereas an effigy of PM was also burnt at Kotdwara and Pauri. Claiming that the bandh was successful, District BJP president, Harendra Singh, said it showed people's disillusionment with the Congress-led government. However, at Srinagar the pilgrims to Badrtinath and Kedarnath had to face problem due to bandh. DNA