Patna, Dec 1 (IANS) The 12-hour strike called by traders and retailers in Bihar Thursday to protest the government’s decision to allow Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail evoked a mixed response in the state, officials said.
While some business establishments across the state downed shutters to join the strike, a majority of market places remained open and vehicles were seen plying on roads.
‘By and large, normal life was not hit in Patna and other cities like Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur. But in some pockets, it was reported that traders and business establishments protested by joining the strike,’ a police officer said.
However, the strike affected students as most private schools here remained closed as a precautionary measure.
Police made heavy security arrangements at sensitive places to avert any untoward incident.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist (CPI-ML) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) supported the strike.
The ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and its ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too extended their support to the strike, while the Congress and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) opposed the move.
