Punjab, Haryana Congress stage protest against fuel price rise

The BJP-led government instead of providing relief to the people has been burdening them with constant rise in petrol and diesel prices while prices of other essential commodities have also sharply increased, Selja said.

The Punjab and Haryana units of the Congress staged a protest here on Thursday against the BJP-led central government over the constant rise in petrol, diesel and cooking gas prices.

The protests were separately staged outside the party offices of the two state units here.

Many Congress leaders and workers from the two states participated in the protest, waged under the party's 'Mehngai Mukt Bharat' campaign. In the protest held outside Punjab unit office, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Raj Kumar Chabbewal and Pargat Singh were seen participating, while the Haryana unit protest saw the participation of state unit chief Kumari Selja, Congress general secretary in-charge of Haryana Vivek Bansal, and some MLAs. Addressing the gathering outside Haryana Congress office here, Selja said the sharp hike in petrol and diesel prices and the rise in prices of other essential commodities has broken the back of the common man. ''The BJP-led government instead of providing relief to the people has been burdening them with constant rise in petrol and diesel prices while prices of other essential commodities have also sharply increased,'' Selja said. Selja said the Congress will raise the voice of the common people, from the streets to the Vidhan Sabha, and to the Parliament.

Chhabewal said all sections of society were adversely affected by the constant increase in fuel prices while rise in prices of other essential commodities had hit common man.

During the protest, Congress workers carried placards, some of which read that the BJP-led government at the Centre had failed to check price rise.

Slogans were also raised by Congress workers against the BJP-led government.

There was heavy police barricading near the protest venue and Congress workers were prevented from taking out a march.

During the protest outside Punjab Congress Bhawan, Navjot Sidhu also took on the AAP government over law and order issue, saying ''Jungle Raj'' prevails in Punjab ever since the new dispensation has taken over. Congress workers are also being targeted, said Sidhu.

Referring to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann meeting his party senior leadership in Delhi a few days ago and on Wednesday joining party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal for a road show in Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Sidhu said, ''the CM takes chopper to meet supremo (Kejriwal in Delhi) and then heads to cool climes of Himachal''.

Sidhu said the AAP made tall promises to people of Punjab before polls and now they were unable to fulfill them.