The Congress is planning an agitation against continuing price rise soon after the Parliament session ends, also intending to lift the morale of party workers distressed by the dismal performance in the recent Assembly elections.
A meeting of general secretaries and states in-charge has been called to discuss the plan on March 26. The meeting will also take up the ongoing membership drive and the organisational elections.
A Chintan Baithak (brainstorming session), to be held after the Parliament session next month, is being planned. Apart from selecting the date and venue, committees are usually formed to prepare background papers on different subjects to set the tone of discussions at such sessions.
The Congress has been protesting against the hike in prices of petroleum products over the past three days after a freeze for the Assembly elections. While the party tried to raise the matter in Parliament by giving notices for discussion, the Youth Congress held demonstrations in Delhi. Congress MPs organised a symbolic protest on the Parliament campus.
On Thursday, Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala attacked the government for doubling the price of CNG, which was always considered cheap fuel for public transport.
He tweeted: “Price of CNG in March 2014 — Rs 35.20 per kg. Price on March 24, 2022: Gurgaon = Rs 67.37 per kg, Lucknow = Rs 68.10 per kg, Indore = Rs 79.49 per kg, Mumbai = Rs 66 per kg. In 8 years of Modi Govt, CNG 88%! Auto-Taxi-Bus-Car passengers duped as in 8 yrs, Modi Govt collected Rs 64,207 CR extra.
“Re 1 increase in piped natural gas #PNG today is a diabolical blow to 82 lakh consumers. In March 2014, PNG in Delhi was Rs 25.50/SCM. It is now Rs 36.61/SCM, a 43.6% increase.”
Rahul Gandhi drew attention to the government’s failures during the Covid period. He tweeted: “Were Covid patients treated free of cost? No. Did the poor and the labourers get minimum basic income? No. Were small business and industries saved from sinking? No. The Prime Minister does not care!”
Rahul attached two news reports, one of them on how suicides and mental health issues had increased among people who lost jobs and suffered cuts in income.
Another report explained how the much hyped health insurance scheme had failed to cover the hospital costs of Covid patients. Most private hospitals charged exorbitant rates, with lakhs of patients forced to cough up over Rs 10 lakh for treatment.
Even as the Modi government went to town claiming credit for “free vaccines”, Covid mismanagement left people helpless in most cities without hospital beds, oxygen and medicines.
