Congress workers detained for symbolic bandh in state

“People are tired of rising prices and job losses and this was evident in the way people supported our bandh across the state. The bandh was very successful,” said Manish Doshi, Congress party spokesperson in Gujarat. In Ahmedabad alone 3,000 Congress workers were detained and released in the afternoon. This included president of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, Jagdish Thakore .

About 25 leaders of Vadodara city Congress unit were among those detained. Congress leaders in the city, including City President Rutvij Joshi, went around their areas requesting traders to close shops and join the bandh.

Several shops remained closed until noon in support of the Congress bandh. Congress leaders also burnt an effigy of the “demon of inflation” at the Gandhi Nagar Gruh. Congress leaders like Joshi, GPCC leader Narendra Ravat, Vadodara Corporators Ami Ravat, Balu Surve, Spokesperson Nishant Ravat, and Youth Congress leader Kuldeepsinh Vaghela were detained by the city police.The bandh was said to be most effective in Ward 1 of Vadodara Municipal Corporation, said to be a Congress stronghold.

In Surat, hundreds of Congress workers and leaders were detained by police when they were on the roads requesting shopkeepers to shut down their shops. Former Municipal Councillor Aslam Cyclewala and others were detained by Salabatpura police from Ring Road areas when they were on their way to request shopkeepers to shut down their shops and hand them roses.

Similarly senior Congress leader Kadir Pirzada was detained along with other Congress leaders from Muglisara area of the city.