Police in Bangladesh have used batons and tear gas to disperse dozens of leftist politicians and students protesting the government's plan to allow international oil companies to export the country's natural gas.

An 11-party leftist alliance called a daylong general strike Saturday that shut down schools and shops, and halted most traffic in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka. The demonstrators are also angry about sharp increases in fuel and electricity prices, which the government implemented at the beginning of the year.

The leftist alliance does not control any seats in the country's 300 member parliament. But the main opposition Bangladesh Awami League, led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, supports the leftist opposition to exporting gas to India.

Bangladesh has proven natural gas reserves of billions of cubic meters. But there are fears that exports could lead to the depletion of the reserves and leave Bangladesh without enough gas for domestic needs, including cooking, electricity, and industrial production.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and DPA.

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