Cong stages protest march in Mandi over inflation

ibune News Service

Mandi, June 28

Led by HPCC president Kuldeep Singh Rathore, Congress workers today held a protest march here against the state and Central governments over the rising prices of food items and petrol and diesel. A large number of Congress workers gathered in front of the Gandhi Bhawan and started the protest march.

Potraying unity, senior party leaders Kaul Singh Thakur, Rangeela Ram Rao, Prakash Chaudhari and Sohan Lal shared a common stage to vent out their ire at the BJP.

The Congress leaders said that during the BJP regime in the state and at the Centre, the prices of essential commodities have increased manifold, making the life of common people difficult.

Rathore said that “Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur-led state government has failed on all fronts. During the BJP regime in the state, inflation has touched new heights, affecting the life of common people badly. Petrol and diesel prices and cooking gas are now beyond the reach of common people. Survival for poor people is getting tough”.

He said that the Chief Minister was keen to conduct byelections to two Vidhan Sabha seats and one Lok Sabha seat in Himachal despite the threat of the expected third wave of the pandemic.

He said that due to poor preparations of the state government to control the spread of the pandemic, a large number of people lost their lives due to the second wave. Now, despite the threat of the third wave the government seemed reluctant to ensure advance preparations to ensure the safety of common people.

Rathore said that the Jal Shakti Minister was violating the Covid norms frequently. He recently visited different Assembly segments in the Mandi parliamentary constituency where overcrowding was observed.

After the protest march, Rathore held a closed-door meeting with the senior party leaders to chalk out a strategy for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat byelection. According to sources, discussions were held on the probable candidates for the Mandi seat but Rathore refrained from commenting on the issue.