Mangalore: The Bharath Bundh call given by the NDA, its allies and the Left Parties on May 31. Thursday, passed off peacefully in Mangalore and elsewhere in the district, with no untoward incidents reported from anywhere.

Streets of Mangalore wore a deserted look with very few vehicles seen on the roads. City buses and auto rickshaws too were completely off the roads, while most of the shops and business establishments remained closed. However, some shops in some parts of the city were seen functioning normally without any disturbance.

Even as BJP leaders claimed the bundh was a success and that it revealed the resentment of the public against the BJP government, the common people who were greatly affected by the bundh were overheard saying that the bundh has served no purpose but has only inconvenienced the lay man. The poor labourers have been deprived of work as well as wages on bundh day and it has only incurred losses to the nation.

 Several vehicles bearing stickers mentioning ‘Wedding vehicles’ were however seen plying on the city roads as a number of weddings had been scheduled for this day. In fact the invitees for the weddings had a tough time attending the weddings in the absence of conveyance facilities.

Many wedding buses were seen ferrying guests to the wedding venues. Many were even heard cursing the bundh organizers.