Jammu, 16-11-2021: Accusing the GoI of failure to control raging inflation which has made the petrol/ diesel dearer and led to steep rise in prices of LPG and essential commodities, scores of Panther activists led by Mr. Harsh Dev Singh Chairman-JKNPP and Mr. Yash Paul Kundal Ex-Minister & General Secretary-JKNPP staged a thundering protest demonstration at Press Club in Jammu today. While torching the effigy of the BJP govt, the enraged protestors raised slogans of “Bahut hui mehangai aur berozgari ki maar, nahin chahiye Modi sarkar”, “BJP sarkar janta ki khaal udhedna band karo”, BJP Logon ki jebon mein daaka dalna band karo”, “Modi Sarkar hai hai”. The NPP leaders along with the protesters had a scuffle with the J&K police while they were on their way to take out the procession in the city. The police contingent raised huge barricades to restrain them from marching further.
Speaking to media, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that with hefty excise duty, road cess, VAT on fuel and additional farm cess being levied, the petrol and diesel prices were still out of the reach of a common man. And with the petrol and diesel becoming dearer, the price of domestic LPG had soared to Rs. 1000/- per cylinder where as commercial LPG had sky rocketed to all time high of Rs.2000/- per cylinder. Regretting that the common man’s life had become miserable in view of the raging inflation, he pointed out that there had been frequent surges in the prices of onions, tomatoes, etc during the BJP rule. “Appallingly, the soaring prices of other popular vegetables had also created chaos which has gone beyond the reach of general masses. The astounding rates of groceries including dairies, cereals, pulses and edible oils have also broken the spine of common man. With the mustard oil hitting Rs. 240/- a litre, the budget of a common household has crashed adding to the woes of the housewives”, lamented Harsh. He said that inflation had become a benchmark of BJP’s governance and looting people by burning holes in their pockets has become synonymous with Saffron party.
Holding the central BJP rule culpable for being callous and averse to the plight of the people during the pandemic times that had struck the nation, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh rued that the Saffron party not only floundered to provide the much needed health infrastructure but had miserably failed to control soaring inflation and growing unemployment which had reached a new high during its rule. “The poor workforce was rendered jobless and unemployment problem had assumed alarming proportions. The fast rising prices of essential commodities at such a crucial juncture had invariably shaken the faith of the common masses in the BJP govt. The poor people and daily earners not only faced the threat of corona contagion but felt extremely insecure in the wake of starvation staring at them due to loss of livelihood.
Mr. Yash Paul Kundal said that uncontrolled inflatory tendencies and retrenchments in govt and private sector had triggered public revulsion which could have disastrous consequences. “Panthers party will expose the BJP govt for its duplicity, deceit and betrayals,” Kundal asserted. He also exhorted the GoI to immediately come up with the measures to control inflation of petro and agri-products to provide relief to the common man against the spiralling prices of essential commodities.
Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included Rajesh Padgotra, Gagan Pratap Singh, Surinder Chouhan, Shankaar Singh , Khateb Hussain, Mohinder Singh, Nand Lal Bhagat besides others.
