India News | Punjab Cong Holds Protest Against Centre over Rise in Prices of Essential Commodities

Chandigarh, Mar 1 (PTI) The Punjab Congress on Monday held a protest against the Centre over the "rising" prices of essential commodities.

The ruling party had announced 'gherao' of the Punjab Raj Bhavan to protest against the "rising" prices of fuel and cooking gas.

However, the agitators led by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunil Jakhar, state ministers, MPs and MLAs were not allowed by the Chandigarh police to go towards the residence of Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore.

The protestors were to start their protest march from the Punjab MLA Hostel here but a heavy police force and a water cannon vehicle was deployed outside. 

Addressing the protesters, Jakhar slammed the Modi regime, accusing it of "deliberately" letting the prices of essential commodities spiral.

"The BJP has shamelessly exposed itself in its utter failure to govern the country on each front," he alleged.

"The Modi dispensation is conspiring with and sponsoring this atrocious public loot to benefit his corporate friends," Jakhar alleged while hitting out at the central government for "crushing" the poor under the burden of high prices of LPG, diesel and petrol.

The former Gurdaspur MP said a party which had "stolen" the votes of the poor in the name of development had completely "forsaken" them. "The poor who were already reeling under stress of COVID now cannot make their ends meet, while the PM's close corporate friends become richer each second by millions," alleged Jakhar.

He further lambasted the Centre for "decimating" small and medium businesses resulting in millions of job and livelihood losses across various sectors of economy.

Underscoring the fact that Manmohan Singh, when he was the prime minister, never let the prices of oil rise even when the crude oil became costly in the international market, Jakhar pointed out that despite the low crude prices internationally the Modi government has not even passed on the benefit of the low price to the public.

"Manmohan Singh ji ensured that buying petrol and diesel remains within the reach of the poor people by subsidizing it for masses when prices rose internationally," said Jakhar.

The rise in prices of diesel and petrol had a "deleterious cascading" impact that broke the back of those marginalised and poor households, which are finding it difficult to make their ends meet, Jakhar said questioning the rationale behind this price hike.

"Crude oil was selling at USD 147 per barrel in 2008 when the Congress was running the government at the Centre and while it is now available at around USD 60 a barrel, Modi Ji is selling petrol and diesel at exorbitant prices to people," claimed Jakhar.

The price of diesel and petrol was Rs 35 and 45 respectively during the Congress rule, while prices are now touching Rs 100 per litre already, Jakhar said.

Likewise, the rate of a LPG cylinder was Rs 438 during the Congress rule which is now selling at a whopping Rs 860 already.

Training his guns on both the SAD and the AAP for their "negative politics", Jakhar said both these outfits now only exist as "BJP spokespersons".

Questioning their "deafening silence" over rise in prices, Jakhar said both Akalis and AAP have "lost" the trust of people of Punjab forever.

(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)