The CPI, CPI(M), Jana Sena Party and Congress held protests across Andhra Pradesh on Monday against the rising fuel prices. The agitations held were in response to the Bharat Bandh called by the Congress and Left parties.

The protestors gathered at bus stops across the state and tried halting services. In Visakhapatnam and Kakinada, agitators blocked roads, leading to traffic snarls. Several protestors were also detained by the police for disrupting the movement of buses.

In Andhra Pradesh, neither TDP nor the Opposition party, YSRCP, supported the shutdown. Meanwhile, Jana Sena Party lent its full support to its allies – CPI and CPI(M). Party chief Pawan Kalyan said that spiralling fuel costs pointed to a worrying trend, and demanded that petrol be brought under the Goods and Services Tax.

He added that while the crude oil prices were decreasing in international markets, the petrol prices constantly increasing is disheartening.  

Recently, Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who parted ways from the NDA, lashed out at the Centre during a Politburo meeting in Telangana. He said it was a failure on the part of the NDA as prices rose sharply. He also attacked the Centre over the value of the rupee depreciating and called demonetization a failure.

However, despite his sharp attack against the BJP, he didn’t lend his support to the Bandh.

In Telangana, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi party led by K Chandrasekhar Rao also did not support called by the Opposition parties.

Meanwhile, Congress president Rahul Gandhi paid homage at Raj Ghat, New Delhi and protested against the Centre at Dharna Chowk.