Shawdesh Desk: Left Democratic Alliance would enforce nationwide eight-hour hartal from 6:00am to 2:00pm today in protest against gas price hike that came into effect from July 1.

Leaders of the combine of eight left leaning political parties on Saturday called on people to enforce the general strike peacefully ignoring any provocation.

The alliance on July 1 called the first hartal after the Awami League-led government assumed power after December 30, 2018 general elections reportedly marred by fraud and flaws.

Ambulance, hotel and restaurants, medicine shops and vehicles carrying journalists would remain out of the hartal’s purview, a release of the alliance said.

The Gono Forum led by Kamal Hossain, the Nagarik Oikya led by Mahmudur Rahman Manna and the Krishak Sramik Janata League led by freedom fighter Abdul Kader Siddique also extended their support to the hartal.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP-led alliance partner Bangladesh Jatiya Dal, and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal led by ASM Abdur Rob extended their moral support to the hartal.

On June 30, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission increased gas price by 32.8 per cent on an average for all consumers ignoring opposition from all sections of people and directly affecting 43.10 lakh consumers, including 42.81 household consumers.

After the gas price hike, the cost of using a single burner has risen to Tk 925 per month from Tk 750 while the cost has risen to Tk 975 from Tk 800 for using a double burner and the price of per cubic metre of gas has been increased to Tk 9.80 from Tk 7.38.

On Saturday, leaders of LDA held a march towards Sadarghat Launch Terminal to drum up the hartal.

The marchers started from in front of the Jatiya Press Club, after holding a short rally where coordinator of the alliance, United Communist League general secretary Moaharraf Hossain Nannu, said that the government had increased the gas price ignoring the proposals of the public hearing held by BERC.

The gas price hike would increase prices of essential commodities that would increase sufferings of the common people, Nannu said.

Moreover, the transport fares and power price would also go up for increasing of gas price, he added.

Communist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Mohammad Shah Alam also called on the people to come forward to observe the countrywide hartal for today to compel the government to withdraw recent gas price hike.

Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh general secretary Saiful Huq, CPB secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince, Socialist Party of Bangladesh central leaders Bazlur Rashid Firoj, Razequzzaman Ratan, SPB(Marxist) central leader Manas Nandi, Ganasamhati Andolan central leader Bachhu Bhuiyan, Samajtantrik Andolan convener Hamidul Haque and others attended the march.

The DLA also brought out a torch procession from National Press Club which ended at Purana Paltan on Saturday evening in support of the hartal.

DLA and its components also brought out processions and held rallies at places in Khulna, Barishal, Gaibandha, Sirajganj, Bogura, Gaibandha and Jashore to make today’s hartal successful, New Age correspondents in the districts reported.