Indian opposition protests govt. economic reforms September 15, 2012 - 20:05 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Angry Indian opposition parties protested on Saturday, Sept 15, against the government's decision to open the country's huge retail market to foreign retailers, The Associated Press reports. The government's surprise announcement Friday that it will allow foreign investment in retail and aviation and the sale of minority stakes in four state-run companies evoked sharp criticism from opposition parties and some of the ruling Congress party's coalition allies. A day earlier, the government announced a hike in the price of diesel fuel. Hundreds of supporters of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party held a rally in New Delhi demanding that the government reverse its decisions, saying they would hurt the poor. Shouting "Down with Manmohan Singh's government" and "Roll back the diesel hikes," angry protesters climbed over barricades erected by police on the road. They burned an effigy symbolizing what they called the "corrupt government" before dispersing. In Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state, the top elected leader, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, led a large rally protesting the government's economic reform policy. Partner news  Top stories Among its provisions are bans on child marriage and the traditional practice of selling and buying women to settle disputes. Jorge Rafael Videla, an austere former army commander, led Argentina during the bloodiest days of its Dirty War dictatorship. According to the United Nations, April was Iraq's bloodiest month for almost five years, with 712 people killed. Reports suggest the rebel fighters may have tried to blow up the walls of the prison, which holds some 4,000 inmates.   Partner news |  Latest news Brad Pitt’s “World War Z” to open Moscow Film Fest  The fest will feature retrospectives of films by Bernardo Bertolucci and Costa Gavras, as well as a program devoted to Dutch cinema.Wrekin Hill picks up John Malkovich’s “Siberian Education” Based on the novel by Nicolai Lilin, the film is set in the ghetto of Soviet Russia and follows 2 boys who are members of a gang of exiled Siberians.Tunisian police clash with Islamists over rally ban The government last week said it had barred the Salafist movement Ansar al-Sharia from holding its annual congress in Kairouan.EU says concerned over human rights record in Russia The European Union said it would closely watch developments affecting non-governmental organizations in Russia. |
