Ludhiana: Industrialists take dig at Centre over rising prices of raw materials

Taking a sarcastic dig at the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) led central government over rising prices of raw materials, industrialists performed a “tikka ceremony” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and Union minister of steel Ramchandra Prasad Singh on the occasion of Bhai Dooj

Taking a sarcastic dig at the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) led central government over rising prices of raw materials, industrialists performed a “tikka ceremony” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and Union minister of steel Ramchandra Prasad Singh on the occasion of Bhai Dooj. Their indefinite protest outside the United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA) office on Gill road entered its fifth day on Saturday.

Industrialists protesting against the rising prices of raw materials outside the UCPMA office in Ludhiana on Saturday. (Harsimar Pal Singh/HT)

Terming it “Gandhigiri”, they also sought wisdom for everyone including Modi, Shah and the general public by reciting “bhajans”. Seeking the formation of a regulatory commission at the Union level to keep a check on the rising prices, representatives of industrial associations including UCPMA, Knitwear and Textile Club, Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisation (FICO), Bahadurke Road Textile and Knitwear Association and Bicycle Research And Development Organisation (BRADO) participated in the protest. They said that they will only vote for the party which work to fulfill their demand.

The industrialists rued that price of raw material including steel, paint, nickel and fuel are being increased arbitrarily in the country, but the Centre is turning a blind eye towards the problem. Due to this, they are struggling to survive and are forced to hike the prices of their end products. Stating that steel prices have almost doubled in the last two years, they also termed the move to slash fuel prices politically motivated.

Sachdeva stated that they had also protested on Diwali and Vishwakarma day, as the industry will not be able to survive for long under these circumstances.