Udaipur has seen no commercial activities today as Chamber of Commerce, Udaipur and BJP had proposed a protest against FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in the form of bandh. It was a nationwide remonstration against the government decision of allowing more than 50% FDI in retail market.

All educational institutions, filling stations, shops and corporate offices remain closed; however local transportation and emergency services were not affected due to bandh.

Reports of forcefully closing were came to light when BJP activists closed several banks including HDFC, SBBJ (both at Chetak) and IDBI near UIT bridge. The activists also tried to stop the ongoing seminar at SIERT and allegedly broke the glass door.

The additional police forces were deployed at many places and imposition of Section continued but this could stop the politically inclined people to use their power over the common man.

Gulabchand Kataria (in photo above), the senior BJP leader came to Bapu Bazaar to support the bandh. He objected the role of foreign retailers in India which will add to the already existing problem of unemployment in the country. Kataria said, “They claim to generate lakhs of jobs for our youth but they are also making a particular section jobless.”

The clearing house at Punjab National Bank could not be opened due to BJP activists, Rajni Dangi, Chairperson of Municipal Corporation stopped anyone to enter in the bank.

While the bandh was effective to only some areas, groups of people were seen discussion at tea stalls; many shops were partially open while nothing affected the shops and market inside the old city areas and colonies.

Till evening, the bandh was considered over, successfully or not, that’s the personal verdict but no one wants to sit home forcefully, no one wants to run business fearfully and no one wants to get ruled by many at one time.

In this news: reporting by Sayeed Ahmed, some inputs by Zaheer Abbas