Anti-quota bandh gets tepid response in Gujarat

A nationwide anti-quota bandh evoked little response in Gujarat today, with most establishments and markets staying open in major cities and towns, an official said.

The call for the bandh against caste-based reservations was posted on social media sites, but no organisation or leader had claimed responsibility for it.

Though messages in support of the bandh call did the rounds of social media platforms over the last few days, the response to the stir was lukewarm.

Barring Idar and Khedbrahma towns in north Gujarat, where markets remained shut during the day in support of the bandh, the state remained unaffected, the official said.

Khedbrahma MLA Ashwin Kotwal claimed shopkeepers joined the bandh out of fear.

"I was told shopkeepers decided to join the bandh in panic, as some people circulated messages warning them of consequences if the locals did not support the protest," the Congress legislator claimed.

According to the state police control room, there was no report of any trouble or violent protest anywhere in the state during the day.

Schools, offices and markets remained open in all the big towns and cities, the official at the control room said.