At a time when many opposition parties have called for a nation-wide bandh to protest the rise of fuel prices, the Andhra Pradesh government has on Monday taken a decision to slash the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs. 2.  From tomorrow, this will come into effect.  

AP is the second state to do so in recent times after Rajasthan.  Before this, the state had among the highest VAT rates on fuel in India.  

Not just non-ruling parties, but also the ruling Telugu Desam Party is supporting today's bandh.  Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu today slammed the Centre over the rising petrol prices, adding that the price of essential goods is being badly affected.  He pooh-poohed the Centre for burdening the common man.  

The bandh has been a partial success.  While educational institutions have remained shut in the sate, many protesters reportedly staged a sit-in in front of RTC depots, affecting road transport severely.