Shutdown call evokes partial response in Telugu states

The nation-wide shutdown called by the Left parties over demonetisation of high value currency notes evoked partial response in Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Monday.

Shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed in some areas while there was not much impact elsewhere.

The services of state-owned Road Transport Corporation (RTC) was near normal in both the state.

The activists of the opposition parties staged protest at RTC depots at many places since early morning, however, the bus services by and large remained unaffected.

Activists of Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Congress and YSR Congress Party staged sit-in at RTC depots. However, the employees union stayed away from the shutdown.

Main opposition YSR Congress and Congress clarified that they have not called for 'Bharat Bandh' but were only participating in protests against the people's sufferings due to demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

The Left parties exempted banks from the strike call.

Congress and CPI workers were arrested by the police at RTC bus depot in Kadapa town of Andhra Pradesh when they staged a sit-in and tried to prevent buses from plying.

YSR Congress Party leader Bhuma Karunakar Reddy and others were arrested when they held a protest demonstration at RTC depot in Tirupati. The left parties took out a rally in the temple town and raised slogans against the central government.

The activists of opposition parties also staged protests in Nellore, Guntur, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and other towns in Andhra Pradesh, where TDP-BJP alliance is in power.

In Telangana, ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was not participating in the shutdown.

The Left parties and Congress staged sit-in since morning at RTC depots at various places including Khammam, Karimnagar, Jagtiyal, Suryapet and Sircilla.

The Left parties plan to take out a rally in Hyderabad, while Congress, which is observing it as 'Akarsh Diwas' would be forming a human chain at the regional office of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in Hyderabad to highlight the problems faced by the people.

Some schools in Hyderabad declared holiday as a precautionary measure. Osmania University, Kakatiya University and Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University (JNTU) postponed their examinations.

--IANS

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