Team Herald
PANJIM: Ever since Narendra Modi government came to power in Delhi, they have looted the common man by increasing petrol prices by 250 per cent, diesel prices by 820 per cent and doubling the LPG cylinder prices, charged Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar, while addressing a bicycle rally organised by the North Goa District Congress Committee, here, to protest against repeated fuel price hike.
Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat, Senior Congress leader Alka Lamba, North Goa District Congress President Vijay Bhike, South Goa District Congress President Joe Dias, Altino Gomes and Amarnath Panjikar, Beena Naik, Varad Mardolkar, Shankar Kirlapalkar and Naushad Chowdhary, Janardhan Bhandari, Tulio de Souza, Rudolf Fernandes, Sudhir Kandolkar, Himanshu Tivrekar and others participated in the protest.
Chodankar said, “Last seven years the BJP has looted common man by collecting taxes of Rs 35,80,000 crore and Rs four lakh crore through road and infrastructure tax on fuel. The government should bring down fuel prices to Rs 35 per litre, which he claimed, is cost price of petrol and diesel.
Kamat pointed out that the BJP had promised “Achhe Din” but people are desperately searching “Achhe Din”. He demanded that petrol and diesel prices be brought down to Rs 60 per litre as promised by the BJP in Goa in 2012.
He said common man is suffering today due to unbearable inflation and urged people to remember harassment by the Modi government since last seven years while voting in the ensuing Assembly elections.
Alka Lamba, while participating in the protest said, “Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has asked them to fight on streets against loot by the BJP government.”
She demanded that Modi government must withdraw excise on fuel and bring it under GST. Congress Party will continue to fight on behalf of the people of India.
Bhike said, “The Modi government has cheated people of India in the name of “Achhe Din”. All BJP leaders who were protesting during Congress regime have gone hiding today.”
Congress leaders protested in the city by riding bicycles from the party office up to the KTC bus stand.
