Bihar Cong takes out padayatra against price rise

While the BPCC chief Madan Mohan Jha led the protest march in Darbhanga, his home constituency, prominent leaders of the state Congress took out a protest march in the Digha area of the state capital in their bid to encourage the people to join their campaign to oust the BJP-led dispensation at the Centre.

Ahead of chief minister Nitish Kumar’s social reform yatra, the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) carried out a padayatra across the state in protest against the spiralling prices of petroleum products and other consumables on Saturday.

Congress leaders and workers take out protest march against inflation and price rise, at Digha in Patna on Saturday. (Santosh Kumar/HT photo)

While the BPCC chief Madan Mohan Jha led the protest march in Darbhanga, his home constituency, prominent leaders of the state Congress took out a protest march in the Digha area of the state capital in their bid to encourage the people to join their campaign to oust the BJP-led dispensation at the Centre.

Jha said that the Narendra Modi government had created an artificial mechanism in the name of the pandemic to benefit his capitalist friends at the cost of common people. “Income of likes of Adani and Ambani is growing up steadily, even as the common men are grappling with joblessness, unprecedented inflation and an environment of distrust and hatred,” said Jha.

In Patna, working president of BPCC Sameer Kumar Singh led the procession from Makhdumpur Ghat to Digha Ghat in which senior leaders and party workers marched in unison, holding placards and banners, denouncing the Central government’s reluctance to check in the prices of essential commodities despite the majority of people being pushed to the verge of starvation.

Addressing the workers’ gathering at Digha, All India Congress Committee (AICC) media panellist and MLC Prem Chandra Mishra alleged that the Modi government was framing policies and planning to suit the interest of rich people, while the Congress-led government always laid focus on ameliorating sufferings of the downtrodden and the middle class.

The organisation in charge Brajesh Pandey said the BJP and prices rise had a common connection. “Prices of goods and consumables always shot up whenever the BJP remained in power,” said Pandey. Media in-charge Rajesh Rathore said that similar protests were carried out at all the district headquarters in which a large number of people also participated.