Jammu, Apr 7 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir and scores of party workers were detained in Jammu on Thursday during a protest against the BJP-led central government over the rise in prices of fuel and other essential commodities.

Mir alleged that the government was fleecing the poor by imposing unreasonable taxes on petrol, diesel and cooking gas.

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He accused the government of indulging in "tax terrorism" to give undue benefits to big corporates.

As part of a nationwide protest call, a large number of Congress workers led by Mir assembled in Tawi Bridge area carrying placards and banners and raised slogans against the central government.

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The protesters briefly blocked the Tawi bridge, disrupting traffic. The police detained the protesters, including Mir, and took them to the district police lines in Gandhi Nagar. They were later released.

Talking to reporters, Mir said the BJP is insensitive to the hardships of the poor and filling the coffers of the government by levying heavy taxes on petrol, diesel, cooking gas and other items and essential services.

"The Modi government is anti-poor and anti-common people....today the unemployed youth, daily wagers and the middle class are fed up and want to change the present dispensation," he 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)