AAP protests high power, onion prices

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 9

Activists of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh over rising onion prices and high power tariff at Ambedkar Park, near District Administrative Complex here.

Donning garlands made of onions, party workers raised slogans against the government for not doing enough to curtail the price of one of the most important ingredient that was used in every household on a daily basis.

A delegation of AAP leaders with onion chains around their neck submitted a memorandum to ADC Sukhpreet Singh Sidhu over the issue. AAP delegation included Anil Thakur, Navdeep Singh Jeeda, Rajan Amarinder Singh, Amrit Lal Aggarwal and others.

Attacking Capt Amarinder Singh government, the protesters demanded that the power purchase agreements signed by the previous SAD-BJP government with private companies should be cancelled to get cheap power.

They also claimed that the Kejriwal government in Delhi was purchasing electricity at Re 1 per unit from private companies, while the Punjab Government was purchasing at Rs 10 per unit.

They announced that if the state government did not reduce the power tariff, they would launch a stir. While addressing the protesters, AAP leaders alleged that the Modi government had failed miserably in managing the country’s economy and the GDP was going down day by day. Moreover, traders are irked over the poor business prospects in the country.

They also alleged that the high onion prices had upset the budget of middle class families. They demanded that the fuel prices should be reduced to give a boost to business activities in India.

Anil Thakur, AAP trader and industry wing vice-president, said, “The frequent increase in power tariff is putting extra burden on common man. This is also affecting the industry in the state, which is already near closure and even the small traders are planning to close their businesses in the state.”