Congress party members on Thursday staged protests in parts of Punjab against the BJP-led government at the Centre charging it with anti-people policies resulting in hike in fuel and cooking gas prices.
State party president Sunil Jakhar leading the protest in Abohar accused it of implementing policies that have adversely affected every section of society.
“When the Congress was in power in 2014, the price of crude oil in the international market was $104 per barrel and now it is around $60 but yet fuel prices are being hiked. As a result, consumers in Punjab alone are facing an additional financial burden of ₹750 crore every month.”
He said the faulty policies have also led to an increase in the price of cooking gas drastically while the subsidy on cylinders has been reduced by 90% compared to 2014.
Referring to the farmers’ protest, he said the BJP government has enacted the farm laws to encourage black market and destroy the agriculture sector. “The farmers have been agitating on the Delhi borders for the last two and a half months to get the contentious laws repealed but iron nails have been laid on the roads to prevent ‘Annadata’ from entering Delhi. These nails are piercing the democracy and if the situation prevails then they will work as nails in the coffin of the BJP.
“Only by withdrawing the black laws can the farmer be saved.”
