BJP pounces on Raut for inflated bills, Congress adds fuel to petrol hike fire

Nagpur: Political parties held a number of protests in the city on Monday. While BJP protested astronomical power bills issued by MSEDCL at six places, Congress leaders protested central government’s failure to rein in petrol and diesel prices.
At all the seven places, no social distancing was maintained. Many workers were not even wearing masks. TOI was present at the Tulsibagh MSEDCL office where BJP workers were staging a protest. Until city president Pravin Datke had reached the spot, activists were standing close to each other. Datke asked them to stand at some distance from each other.
Datke slammed the state government for sending astronomical bills to consumers, when their income had gone down due to the lockdown. He slammed energy minister Nitin Raut for demanding aid from the central government to reduce power bills.
“The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government wants others to do everything but doesn’t want to spend a single penny to help the common man. Why is it continuing in power if it is so incapable? The Centre has given money for rations, cotton procurement, train tickets of migrants, etc. The MVA wants employers to pay their employees even if they are unable to work. However, it paid only half the salary to its employees in March. People have completely lost faith in this government,” said Datke.
The BJP MLC reiterated his demands for free electricity up to 300 units for the lockdown period, abolition of all surcharges, etc
BJP staged protests in all six assembly constituencies. MP Vikas Mahatme, mayor Sandip Joshi, MLAs Vikas Kumbhare, Krishna Khopade and Mohan Mate, MLCs Datke, Anil Sole, Nago Ganar, Parinay Fuke, Girish Vyas, etc besides hundreds of office-bearers participated in them.
Congress workers led by their city president MLA Vikas Thakre staged demonstrations against continuous hike in prices of LPG, diesel and petrol. Thakre hit out at the central government for burdening citizens, who had been badly hit by the coronavirus recession.
In Chandrapur, city unit of Congress staged sit-in agitation before district collectorate. MP Balu Dhanorkar met district collector and forwarded a memorandum of demand in the name of President Ramnath Kovind.