Congress to organise protests over hike in fuel, electricity prices
Saturday, 23/05/2015
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LUDHIANA: The Congress leaders, in a meeting held with Member of Parliament (MP) Ravneet Singh Bittu on Friday, decided to hold protests against the state government’s recent move to impose cess on petrol, diesel and electricity, triggering price rise. The meeting was held at Bittu’s office on mini-secretariat premises.
Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu addressing the mediapersons at the mini-secretariat on Friday.
The Congress leaders said that the state government’s policies were anti-people.
It may be recalled that the SAD-BJP government, in a cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, had imposed additional tax on petrol, diesel and electricity, a move to generate a revenue of `1,400 crore.
After the meeting, Bittu announced that his party would organise wide-spread protests against the state government “in order to deter it from implementing anti-people policies.” He said the first protest would be held at the mini secretariat on Monday.
Bittu said, “The increasing prices of essential commodities have been hurting the people and the government’s recent decision would further burden them. It is the duty of a government to provide relief to the people and since the state government has failed to do so, Congress will force the Akali-BJP alliance to take steps for the welfare of people.”
According to Bittu, “While the funds from the government’s coffers are being spent to lay roads worth `29 crore that lead to the five star hotels of the rulers, no one is bothered by the massive unemployment in the state caused by more than 19,000 small scale units shutting shops in Punjab in the last eight years.”
The meeting was attended by MLAs Rakesh Pandey, Surinder Dawar, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Ludhiana (urban) district Congress committee president Gurpreet Bassi Gogi and Ludhiana (urban) president Leena Taparia. Among others, Ashok Kumar, Pappi Prashar, Gurdev Singh Lappran, Kulwant Singh Sidhu and Ishwarjot Singh Cheema were present in the meeting.
Meanwhile, Khanna Congress committee staged a protest over inflation against the state government and also burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The protest was led by Khanna Congress committee president Lakhvir Singh.
