The bandh call by the Congress received a mixed response in the city on Monday. Traders though closed their shops as Congress leaders visited them, they opened them soon after the leaders left.
While the Congress claimed that the bandh was successful, local MP Kirron Kher termed it a flop show.
Kirron said traders did not support the bandh call and opened their shops as usual.
Congress workers held a procession, which began from Sector 23 and culminated in Sector 17. The traders reportedly closed their shops in Sectors 20, 27, 21, 19, 22 and 17. Congress workers had skirmishes with the police and some people who opposed the call in Sectors 17 and 19.
Former Union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who led the procession in various sectors, appealed to the traders to support the bandh. While addressing party workers at Sector 17, he said due to imposition of heavy taxes on petrol and diesel by the Modi government, the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG had skyrocketed.
City Congress president Pradeep Chhabra said instead of extending the benefits of the low price of crude oil to the common man, the Centre was imposing taxes on fuel.
Councillor Devinder Singh Babla claimed that it was a complete shutdown in his ward comprising Sectors 27, 28 and 30.
Former mayors Mukesh Bassi, Subhash Chawla and several senior party leaders participated in the protest.
The police forcefully removed protesting Congress workers when they sat on a road in Sector 19.
Chhabra alleged that the BJP wanted to make the bandh a failure by misusing the police, but people supported the Congress call.
