Thousands of Congress workers, under the leadership of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Shri Subhash Chopra, held a dharna outside Shastri Bhawan today to protest against the New Year shock inflicted on the people by the Modi Government at the Centre by steeply hiking the cooking gas cylinder price and demanding its immediate roll back. The angry Congress workers, who were joined by a large number of common people, carried placards with anti-Modi Government slogans for giving them a bitter pill on the first day of 2020.
Besides Shri Subhash Chopra, prominent others who participated in the dharna were AICC In-charge of Delhi Shri P.C.Chacko, AICC secretary Shri Kuljeet Singh Nagra, Shri Jai Prakash Agarwal, chief spokesperson Shri Mukesh Sharma, Shri Ramesh Kumar, Smt. Krishna Tirath, Shri Udit Raj, Shri Mahabal Mishra, Shri Parvez Hashmi, Shri Jag Pravesh Kumar, Dr. Yoganand Shastri, Dr Kiran Walia, Ms. Shivani Chopra, Shri Jitender Kumar Kochar (Jitu), Rajesh Lilothia, Nasib Singh, Balram Tanwar and Vipin Sharma.
Addressing the angry Congress workers, Shri Subhash Chopra said that on 1st September, 2019 the price of a cooking gas cylinder was Rs 574, which has now risen to Rs 714 per cylinder. He said that in the past five months, the Modi Government has hiked the cooking gas cylinder prices by Rs 140 to break the back of the common people, to upset their household budgets. He said that when Congress was in power, a cooking gas cylinder was available for Rs 399 which was now costing Rs 714 per cylinder.
Shri Subhash Chopra said that this hike in the prices of cooking gas cylinder was a betrayal on the people which has completely exposed the hollow slogan of the Modi Government “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”.
Shri Subhash Chopra and Shri P.C.Chacko, taking a swipe at the Kejriwal Government in Delhi, asked why the Aam Aadmi Party was not coming out to protest against the BJP Government for the cooking gas price hike, and it should explain this to the people of Delhi. They said that being the “B” team of the BJP, Aam Aadmi Party Government has been mum on many issues as it did not want to criticize the Modi Government and quietly endorsed its decisions. They said that the prices of essential items like onions, potato and garlic have gone through the roof, but neither the Modi Government nor the Kejriwal Government took effective steps to stem the price rise.
Shri Subhash Chopra asked the Kejriwal Government to announce a subsidy of Rs 140 per cooking gas cylinder to give relief to the people of Delhi. He said that during the Sheila Dikshit’s Congress Government in Delhi, she gave subsidy to stabilize the gas prices when the Central Government raised the prices of cooking gas.
Shri Jai Prakash Agarwal and Shri Kuljeet Singh Nagra said that the Modi Government was wringing the necks of the people with such periodic hikes in the prices of essential items and services to make the lives of the poor people, already burdened by the Government’s anti-people policies, unbearable. He said that the people of Delhi were fed up with the anti-people policies of both the Modi and Kejriwal Governments.
Chief spokesperson Shri Mukesh Sharma warned the BJP Government that if the hiked gas prices are not rolled back forthwith, Delhi Congress will further intensify its anti-Government agitations and hold ‘chakka-jams’ across Delhi. Shri Sharma cautioned the Kejriwal Government that if it does not immediately announce a subsidy of Rs 140 per cooking gas cylinder, the Congress workers will gherao the residence of Kejriwal. He said that due to the collusion between the BJP and AAP, Delhi was not only witnessing back-breaking price rise, but also a stunted growth as the Central and Delhi Governments were doing nothing for the development and improving the infrastructure in Delhi.
Others who participated in dharna were Ex MLAs Darshan Ramkumar, Brahm Pal, District Presidents Kailash Jain, Hari Kishan Jindal, AR Joshi, Virendra Kasana, Rajesh Chauhan, Vishnu Aggarwal, Pradeep Sharma, Jaivir Singh Nagar, Ankasha Ola, Neetu Verma, Khavindra Singh Captain, Ritu Singh Chauhan, Rajat Makkar, Satish Khatana, Gaurav Bhatia, Ishwar Bagdi, Suresh Yadav, P.K. Mishra and Ajay Vinayak.
