The Congress party had called for a bandh (shutdown) in Gujarat on 10th September 2022 in protest against inflation and other issues. The party workers staged protests at various places in the state during its 4-hour ‘symbolic bandh’, which was from 8 pm till 12 noon. However, the shutdown calls did not get any response from the people. In Patan, the Congress party workers forced the shopkeepers to shut their doors after a scuffle. It has also come to light that the Congress workers descended to hooliganism while interacting with these shopkeepers.
In Patan, the Congress party had called for the bandh but some shopkeepers in the market continued to operate. Congress workers then went out to the market to close the shops. In this process, the party workers quarrelled with a shopkeeper who had refused to shut down. But after an argument, the party workers forced the shopkeeper to pull the shutter of the shop down.
As the Gujarat assembly elections are approaching, the Congress party has also started making efforts to revive the party. However, it does not seem to be getting much success.
पाटन :
— Janak Dave (@dave_janak) September 10, 2022
कोंग्रेस कार्यकर्ता और व्यापारी के बीच हुई कहासुनी,
कोंग्रेस कार्यकर्ताओं ने दुकान जबरन बंद कराई. https://t.co/Bm90vGbHGB pic.twitter.com/Yx0eFLO5cq
OpIndia reached out to the shopkeeper and got details of the incident. It was found that Dineshbhai Prajapati, the owner of a shop named Shraddha Fabric located in the market of Patan, had just opened his shop in the morning. Congress workers came there and started arguing with him for opening the shop. The Congress workers misbehaved with him and forced him to shut the shop.
The video of this incident is currently going viral on social media. Congress workers, including some women, are seen talking to the shopkeeper in foul language. A woman is also seen holding the hand of the shopkeeper and pushing him inside the shop and asking him to shut it down. In the meantime, she is also heard abusing the shopkeeper. Eventually, the shopkeeper is seen closing the shutter of the shop after some Congress workers tried to pull it down.
‘I did not intend to oppose them, yet they misbehaved’: Shopkeeper Dineshbhai
Talking to OpIndia, shopkeeper Dineshbhai Prajapati said, “As per the routine, I opened the shop at nine o’clock in the morning. Soon after that, Congress workers came and started hooliganism and hurling abuses at me.”
He added, “No one has the right to indulge in such hooliganism. My intention was not to oppose the Congress bandh but I saw that other shops in the market are open. Therefore, I also opened my shop. But a mob of Congress workers came and hurled abuses.” He said the mob belonged to the Congress party and he knew one or two of them. He, however, refused to take any legal action.
He also said that the Congress workers misbehaved not only with him but also with other shopkeepers in the area who had kept the shop open. The Congress workers also had a similar argument with two other shopkeepers in the area.
The Congress party had called for a symbolic bandh from 8 am to 12 noon today. However, it received a response at only a few places and public life remained normal in the rest of the cities of the state. However, where people did not respond to the bandh, this kind of bullying was also seen.
