Ranchi, May 26 (PTI) The Jharkhand unit of the Congress on Tuesday took out a protest march against the hike in fuel prices, with leaders symbolically riding a horse-drawn carriage.
The procession was taken out by the party’s state president, Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, and other leaders from the Congress Bhawan and it passed through Shaheed Chowk and Albert Ekka Chowk before reaching Lalpur petrol pump, where he formally launched a signature campaign demanding a reduction in fuel prices.
Hundreds of Congress workers participated in the procession. They also carried placards and raised slogans against the central government.
“There is widespread anger among the people against the central government. Common citizens, vehicle drivers, youth, women, and businessmen expressed deep concern over rising inflation and increasing fuel prices,” Kamlesh said.
He alleged that the BJP-led central government has turned petrol and diesel “from a public necessity to a means of earning revenue”.
“Despite a decline in international crude oil prices, petrol and diesel rates are continuously increasing in the country, which directly impacts the ordinary citizens.
“The hike in fuel prices has increased transportation costs, leading to a continuous rise in the prices of food items, vegetables, pulses, milk, and daily essentials. The middle class, farmers, labourers, small traders, and youth are the most affected,” the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) president said.
The cost of farming has gone up, the transport sector is badly hit, and the common man’s domestic budget has been completely disrupted, and despite all this, the “PM is busy making only tall claims”, he said.
Former Congress state unit chief Rajesh Thakur said the procession is not just a protest programme but an expression of people’s sentiments.
“The massive public support proves people are fed up with the Union government’s policies. This campaign will take a wider form in the coming days and will force the Centre to listen to the voice of the people,” he said.
Party workers also conducted similar drives at various petrol pumps in Ranchi, including Ratu Road, Cutchery Road, Harmu Road, Doranda, and Birsa Chowk. PTI RPS RPS ACD
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