Congress raises price rise in Bihar Assembly

While Congress member Prem Chandra Mishra moved an adjournment motion in the legislative council to discuss the fall-out of increasing prices of petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LGP), hundreds of Youth Congress staged a vociferous protest against price hike of essential commodities and the Pegasus snoopgate issue on Thursday

While Congress member Prem Chandra Mishra moved an adjournment motion in the legislative council to discuss the fall-out of increasing prices of petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LGP), hundreds of Youth Congress staged a vociferous protest against price hike of essential commodities and the Pegasus snoopgate issue on Thursday.

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Soon after the legislative council assembled for the question hour, Mishra moved an adjournment motion and urged the state and central government to reduce taxes on petroleum products to offer some relief to the people from burgeoning inflation.

The motion, however, was rejected by the working chairman Awadhesh Narayan Singh, the issue saw verbal dual between Mishra and JDU minister and former Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) chief Ashok Choudhary in presence of chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Mishra pressed for reducing the state’s share of tax in petrol and diesel citing CM Kumar’s statement at a recent Janata Darbar. The CM watched the proceedings in the council but declined to intervene in the war of words between Choudhary and Mishra.

Later, the council chair announced Madan Mohan Jha being granted the status as leader of Congress party in the upper house, on the recommendation of Congress legislature party (CLP) leader Ajit Sharma. The post of Congress legislature party leader in the council remained vacant since the superannuation of the previous term of Jha.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of Youth Congress workers gathered under the leadership of Bihar Pradesh Youth Congress (BPYC) chief Gujan Patel and former legislator Amit Kumar Tunna took out a march from Sadaqat Ashram to gherao the state legislature on the issue of spiralling prices of petroleum products, essential commodities and government-sponsored phone hacking of top political leaders, social activists and journalists.

The protesters were, however, not allowed to move towards the state legislature and stopped near Rajapur. A minor scuffle between the police personnel and the Youth Congress activists erupted near Rajapur when the former refused to proceed. Addressing the gathering, Tunna accused the government of leaving the people to fend for themselves in its lust for taxes and said that their protests would continue at different levels across the state.

Patel said that the wing activists would go to New Delhi to participate in the Indian Youth Congress called Parliament march on the same issue on August 5.

The police later arrested the Youth Congress leaders and detained them at Patliputra police station. BPCC chief Madan Mohan Jha and Mishra met the detained leaders at the police station and managed their release.