Congress to start mass stir against inflation, job loss

Party says back-breaking price rise, unprecedented levels of unemployment and loss of jobs has made lives unbearable for the common people

The Congress will launch a 15-day nationwide mass agitation programme from November 14 to highlight the issue of inflation and price rise. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal charged at a press conference that price rise is destroying livelihoods and adding to people’s woes and that it has been caused by “destruction of the economy, deepening recession, highest-ever unemployment rate, farm distress and escalating levels of poverty and hunger”.

Youth Congress activists protest LPG price hike in Delhi. File pic/AFP

Attacking the government over the issue, Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala said the Modi government has proved to be the most “expensive regime”. K C Venugopal said the prices of mustard and other edible oils have doubled in the past one year. Seasonal vegetable prices have increased by 40-50 per cent in a month. The cost of subsidised LPG cylinder has gone up by 50 per cent to Rs 900-Rs 1,000 in the past one year. Similarly, petrol and diesel prices have gone up by Rs 34.38 and Rs 24.38 to Rs 103.97 and Rs 86.67 per litre, respectively, in the past 18 months.

He claimed that 14 crore jobs were lost during the COVID-19 period alone. Crores of daily wagers and the salaried class have faced up to 50 per cent salary cut. The unemployment rate is at an all time high of 8-9 per cent. During 10 years of its government, the Congress-UPA pulled 27 crore Indians out from the ‘Below the Poverty Line’ while in the past two years, the Modi government has pushed 23 crore fellow Indians back below the poverty line (as per the latest report of Azim Premji University), he charged.

Cong members protest fuel & LPG price hike, in Bengaluru. File pic/AFP

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said during the course of the agitation, which is being called ‘Jan Jagran Abhiyan’, party workers will reach out to the maximum number of people across the country to strengthen the people’s voice against the “unprecedented” price rise of CNG, cooking gas, diesel, petrol, cooking oil, pulses and other essential commodities. Congress leaders and workers shall undertake a week-long ‘padyatra’ (march) with night halts in villages, towns or cities of their mass contact areas, he said.

Nov 14
Day the Congress party will launch the agitation

14 cr
No. of people who lost jobs during pandemic, as per Cong

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