Jammu, Jul 4 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir Congress continued its protest in the city for the sixth consecutive day on Saturday against the hike in fuel prices.

The party said its week-long nationwide protests were an attempt to "awaken the government to the hardships of the people".

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Pradesh Congress Committee president G A Mir led the protest at Guru Nanak Nagar locality in the city. Holding placards, the Congress activists raised slogans against the government. The protesters dispersed peacefully afterward.

"The continuously rising price of diesel and petrol over the past 22 consecutive days has increased the burden on the local people," Mir said and demanded immediate rollback of taxes on petrol and diesel.

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He said it is important that prices are reduced because economic activity is at its lowest and people are sitting at home without any work due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.

"In such a scenario, the government should not aim to earn profit from people who are already facing the brunt of the economic downturn,” he said. 

Hitting out at the BJP-led central government, the Congress leader said the whole country is passing through a difficult period and people are facing hardships due to “wrong policies” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"By imposing tax on petrol and diesel, it has caused lots of hardship to the common people who have lost their jobs and livelihood. Hardship of the common man has only worsened," Mir said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)