Two Gujarat Congress MLAs, several workers detained for protests over inflation, rising petrol, LPG prices

Ahmedabad: Two Congress MLAs in Gujarat and several party workers were detained on Saturday for carrying out agitations against the Central Government over inflation and fuel price, at different locations in the state as part of the party’s nationwide protest on these issues, police said. The opposition party in Gujarat held the protests at Amreli, Junagadh and other parts of the state. Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, Paresh Dhanani, was detained along with 25 party workers after he led a cycle rally in his constituency Amerli, a police official said. The protesters carried empty gas cylinders and placards, which stated that the BJP government’s policies have resulted in inflation, hike in fuel cost and also in the prices of other household items. They said that all these things are causing hardships to people, who are already hit by coronavirus pandemic. In Junagadh, Congress legislator Bhikhabhai Joshi was among over a dozen local party leaders and workers who were detained for taking out a protest march. The MLA was pulling a hand cart with an empty gas cylinder, another police official said. Protesters carried placards with slogans that read “People suffer due to price rise, but government remains indifferent” and “Enough of inflation, now where is the Modi government?” Joshi said, “It appears that democracy is finished, and police are being used to suppress people’s voices. Common man is already suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic. He is being made to suffer due to the sharp rise in the price of petrol, diesel, edible oil, and everything of daily use. Where is (PM Narendra) Modi now, who as Gujarat chief minister used to protest when petrol price went up even by 5 paise?” The party launched a countrywide agitational programme on 7 July against the rising inflation and the increase in the fuel prices, which will continue till 17 July. The party said that since 2 May, the government has hiked the fuel rates 29 times and the price of petrol has crossed Rs 100 per litre in more than 150 cities. The price of edible oil has also nearly doubled in the last six months and that of pulses have seen an unprecedented rise, with the increase in the wholesale price index in May 2021 at 12.94 percent being the highest in 11 years, the party has said.