Summary:
IMPHAL: The state came to a grinding halt on Thursday with Congress's Bharat Bandh against the steep rise in fuel prices.Former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh led Congress members in the protest rally on the streets of Imphal . Though government offices were open, attendance was low.Congress MLA AK Mirabai Devi led the party's protest at Patsoi, her home constituency in Imphal West. "Our key demand is to slash down the sky rocketed prices of essential petroleum products like petrol, diesel and LPG and other commodities. "Owing to the strike, business establishments at Khwairamband market in the city were closed.Educational institutions remained shut and inter-state and inter-district passenger services were stopped. "The steep price of fuel we have now is lower than the price of crude oil - this can only mean that the government at the Centre is looting public money," Ibobi said..