Cong to protest in Guj against price rise

Congress will launch a week-long protest across the state against Centre's "failure" to rein in the rise in prices of essential commodities.
Under the week-long programme, the members of the women wing of the party will organise sit-in demonstrations in main fruit and vegetable markets in different cities, towns and villages, senior Congress leaders said.
Simultaneously, the members of the Congress' students wing, NSUI will hold programmes on university campuses and colleges against the "rising fees in educational institutions and increasing privatisation".
During the protest, members of the women wing and city unit Congress will hold programmes at edible oil markets while activists of Youth Congress will set "effigies of inflation" afire.

Congress will also distribute hand bills across petrol pumps stating that "Centre is keeping the price of petrol and diesel higher despite the fall in prices of global crude oil".
Youth Congress will burn electricity bills in different cities to protest against "rising" power bills.

On the last day of the protest on June 30, the leaders will travel on bullock carts and other non-fuel vehicles as a symbolic protest against the rise in prices of fuel.
"Excise duty on petrol is 84 per cent and VAT on petrol in Gujarat is among the highest in the country. If Gujarat government is concerned about problems faced by people due to rise in prices of essential items, it should reduce VAT and Excise duty on petrol," said the Leader of Opposition in state Assembly, Shankersinh Vaghela.

"Middlemen are hoarding essential items which is causing the rise in prices while the BJP is doing little to control them," Vaghela said.
Congress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said, "There are no new jobs and hence no new sources of earning and on top of it people are troubled because of rise in prices".
He said Congress would have slashed the prices of petrol to Rs 40 per litre and diesel at Rs 32 per litre at the prevailing market price of crude oil had it been in power.
"The biggest cut is being taken by the middlemen who are working together fearlessly with the local BJP leaders, leaving little for farmers," Gohil alleged.

State unit Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki alleged the BJP-led government at Centre has "failed" to keep its poll promise to bring down inflation after coming to power.
"This government is blind and deaf to the troubles being faced by the common people due to increase in the price of items of daily use," he said.
Over the FDI issue, Solanki said when the BJP was in opposition it had criticised the UPA government's FDI policy.
"Congress' policy was to allow FDI but in a way that it should not affect local businesses. Our policy was restricted to certain sectors. Today, the BJP has allowed 100 per cent FDI and with little restriction on foreign firms, which is going to affect manufacturers at local level...How come (they allow) 100 per cent FDI in defence?" he asked.