Hyderabad: Congress leaders and workers on Thursday staged a mock funeral procession of LPG cylinders in Old City to protest against rising inflation and the increase in prices of gas cylinders, petrol, and diesel.
The opposition party carried placards with slogans condemning the hike in the prices of cooking gas cylinders. A poster had the picture of Union Minister Smriti Irani with the slogan ‘Where are you Cylinderella?’ while another poster read ‘Modi Hai Tho, Mehangai Hai’.
Speaking to the media, Hyderabad District Congress Committee (DCC) President Sameer Waliulla accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) central government of failing to control the rising inflation and the increasing fuel prices.
He said that the Congress would intensify its agitation if the government fails to roll back the prices of gas cylinders, petrol and diesel. “The government’s policies are anti-people and are causing immense hardship to the poor and the middle class,” he said.
He alleged that the government was insensitive to the plight of the people and was only interested in filling its coffers.
Sameer Waliullah said, “The increase in fuel prices has a cascading effect on the prices of essential commodities, making it difficult for the common people to make ends meet.” He added that the Congress has always stood for the welfare of the people.
The Congress leader, according to a press release, also demanded that the government roll back the prices of gas cylinders, petrol, and diesel immediately and take steps to control inflation.
Led by Hyderabad District Congress Committee (DCC) President Sameer Waliulla, Mahila Congress Charminar Incharge Mujeebullah Shareef, Puranapul Division Incharge Aslam Shareef, Dabirpura Incharge Dilawar Hussain, Hyderabad president Tahseen Sultana and other congress leaders participated in the protest.
Congress members also questioned the “silence” of Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao over rising inflation and why the state government was not reducing the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel.
