AICC leader, PCC chief among others arrested
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 22: AICC general secretary and Incharge J&K affairs of the party, Rajni Patil JKPCC chief GA Mir, several former ministers and legislators and other senior leaders of the party alongwith scores of party workers were arrested by the police today while leading a massive protest march against unprecedented price hike, rising unemployment besides seeking immediate restoration of statehood to J&K.
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Patil and Mir along with several former ministers, legislators, functionaries of PCC, DCC Urban & Rural, leaders of wings like Mahila Congress, Youth Congress, Seva Dal, NSUI, Minority Wing, OBC Wing, SC/ST, EX-Servicemen Wing, held a massive protest demonstration at Jewal Chowk against the record breaking rise in price of petrol, diesel, LPG and other essential commodities due to unprecedented tax terrorism of BJP Govt, large scale unemployment besides seeking restoration of statehood and holding of earlier Assembly elections.
A large number of Congress activists marched towards Raj Bhawan taking out funeral procession of Gas cylinders and carrying placards in their hands, raising slogans against BJP Govt. demanding immediate rollback of hike in petrol and diesel prices.
The protesters were taken into custody by a heavy contingent of police force and boarded into Police Buses and detained at District Police Lines, Gandhinagar. Prominent those arrested besides Rajni Patil, PCC Chief GA Mir include former ministers Mula Ram, Raman Bhalla, Kanta Bhan, chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, Yogesh Sawhney, Rajnish Sharma, Manmohan Singh, Hari Singh Chib, Indu Pawar, Shiv Dev Singh, Ashok Dogra, Krishan Bhagat ( Ex-MLAs), Shah Nawaz, Pawan Raina, Shashi Sharma, Uday Bhanu Chib, Rajesh Sadotra, Sunny Parihar, Gurdarshan Singh, Zahida Khan, Praveen Sarwar Khan, Suresh Dogra, Rajveer Singh, Dr Rashid Choudhary, Dawarka Choudhary, Ritu Choudhary, RS Jamwal, Dr RK Khajuria, Madan Malagar, Kapil Singh, Satish Sharma, Ricky Dalotra and others. They were detained and shifted to DPL Gandhinagar but released in the afternoon.
Earlier, addressing a large gathering, Rajni Patil said that BJP is looting the people in the name of taxes. She questioned the BJP-led Government on what basis does it decide on the prices of petroleum products every day sought explanation for “subjecting people of J&K to this cruelty”.
” BJP Govt is mercilessly looting the public with hiked fuel prices, especially during a raging pandemic. I want to ask why is this hike in petrol and diesel prices when international crude oil prices are so low?” She said petrol and diesel prices directly affect the common people but the Centre has not formulated any policy to deal with the economic slowdown and they passed on the burden to the masses.
“No Government can ignore people’s voice. Hike in petrol and diesel prices will have to be reversed,” she demanded.
Patil said when the Congress-led UPA was in power, relief was given to people even though international crude oil prices were soaring while the Modi government has been raising petrol and diesel prices, burdening the common people and the farmers already facing hardships due to the corona virus pandemic. She demanded restoration of Statehood to J&K and holding of early Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir to restore democracy.
PCC chief G A Mir said that from day one Congress has launched nationwide protest against the insensitive petroleum hike, through protest and dharnas in different parts of UT. Congress leaders are raising the issue of cruel price hike not only on the roads in the form of dharnas but also an extensive online campaign was also run by the party where all big leaders and lakhs of party workers and members raised the issue on various social/ media platforms. The Congress has been demanding that tax on petrol and diesel be reduced and the common people given relief in prices of fuel.
“The so-called ‘double engine’ BJP governments are fooling the people of country. We have to keep challenging the government on its exploits unless the government wakes up and rolls back these decisions,” he added.
Senior PCC leaders, Mula Ram, Raman Bhalla, Yogesh Sawhney and others also spoke on the occasion.
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