Congress To Launch 'Mehngai Mukt Bharat Abhiyan' Today, Rahul Gandhi To Lead Protest At Vijay Chowk

Congress is set to launch its three-phased campaign against fuel price rise under which rallies and marches will be organised across the country from March 31 to April 7.

New Delhi: The Congress party is set to launch a nationwide programme 'Mehngai Mukt Bharat Abhiyan' on the issues of inflation and fuel price hike from Thursday.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will lead the party's MPs in staging a protest at Vijay Chowk in Delhi at 9 am, news agency ANI reported.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi is expected to join the protest in Shimla. 

Three-Phased 'Mehngai Mukt Bharat Abhiyan'

As per Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala, party president Sonia Gandhi, in consultation with general secretaries and in-charges, decided to champion people's voice in a three-phased programme against price rise under which rallies and marches will be organised across the country from March 31 to April 7.

Speaking to media persons about the Congress party's 'Mehngai Mukt Bharat Abhiyan', he said, "People of India have been betrayed, duped and deceived by the Modi government", ANI reported.

"Every day there had been an increase in prices of Petrol and Diesel as an also cumbersome increase in the prices of LPG, PNG and CNG. This has proved the dictum for Modi Government- 'Fleece the People, Fill Coffers'," he stated after the decision was taken at a meeting between Congress general secretaries and state in-charges at the party headquarter presided by KC Venugopal.

"On March 31, Congressmen and people will protest outside their homes and public places with garlanded Gas Cylinders and beat of drums-bells-other instruments to draw the attention of the deaf BJP government against the insurmountable increase in the prices of petrol, diesel and gas. There will be district level Mehngai Mukt Bharat Dharna and march between April 2-4. On April 7, there will be state-level dharna at state headquarters," the party leader informed.

Fuel Prices Breach Rs 100-Mark In Delhi, Mumbai

On November 3 last year, the Centre had cut excise duty by Rs 5 per litre on petrol and Rs 10 per litre on diesel to bring down the retail prices across the country. Following this, several state governments reduced Value-Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel to provide relief to people.

However, the four-and-half-month long hiatus in rate revision ended on March 22 as the total increase in rates in the last 10 days reached Rs 6.40 per litre.

Petrol and diesel prices were on Thursday hiked by 80 paise a litre each. Petrol in Delhi now costs Rs 101.81 per litre as against Rs 101.01 previously while diesel rates have gone up from Rs 92.27 per litre to Rs 93.07, ANI reported.

In Mumbai, the petrol and diesel prices per litre have increased by 84 paise and are at Rs 116.72 and Rs 100.94 respectively.

Rates have been increased across the country and vary from state to state depending upon the incidence of local taxation.

(With Agency Inputs)