The Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxists) held separate protests in the city on Wednesday opposing the rising prices of fuel.
The Congress took out a bicycle jatha and padayatra from its office at Mallikatta to Mangaluru City Corporation office in Lalbagh.
Addressing the protesters on the occasion, P.V. Mohan, secretary, All India Congress Committee (AICC) said that increasing prices of diesel, petrol and cooking gas has hit common people hard. The Union government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is not pro-people and pro-farmer. It is supporting capitalists.
Mithun M. Rai, former president, Dakshina Kannada unit of the Youth Congress, said that the Prime Minister had promised that the Union government will usher in ‘aache din’ (good days) in the country. “But where are they,” he asked, stating that the prices of essential commodities too have sky rocketed due to increasing prices of diesel. The government should bring the increasing fuel prices under control, he said.
At a separate protest organised in Hampankatta, the CPI(M) leaders shouted slogans against the economic policies of the Union government.
Speaking on the occasion J. Balakrishna Shetty, member, State unit of the party, and Sunil Kumar Bajal, secretary, Mangaluru City South unit of the party, said that only capitalists have got aache din’ in the country.
On the other hand, the State government has hiked power tariff imposing an additional burden on common people, they said.
Mr. Bajal said that the Union government has failed to generate employment in the country.