From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Apr 7: AICC General Secretary Ajay Maken has accused the BJP government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of burdening the common man by over Rs 1.5 lac crore and claimed that the Modi regime arrogantly functions under the assumption that “electoral victory is license to loot.’’
Addressing a news conference at the Congress Bhavan of State Congress on Thursday, April 7, he said the biggest New Year gift to the people is price rise and the budget for the current year has shattered the budget of every household in the country.
“Mehngai or price rise is Modi regime’s curse in the life of every citizen. Loot, rob and fleece the citizen in the mantra of Modi government,’’ he said attacking the rising prices of petrol and diesel as many as 14 times in the last 16 days soon after the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and other four States.
The senior Congress leader said the Modi regime has increased the Excise Duty on petrol by Rs 18.70 per litres and on litre by Rs 18.34 per litres, which accounts for 203% and 531% increase respectively. The government has raised Rs 26 lakh crore in the last 8 years through excise duty on petrol and diesel alone.
On petroleum products, the Modi government decreased the subsidy from Rs 1.47 lakh crore in 2013-14 to Rs 12,000 crore in 2020-21 and increased taxes by 300%. The sharp hike in LPG prices, CNG and edible oils has further burdened the people. Apart from the steep increase as well as the steepest cuts in the subsidies on diesel, the fertiliser prices have been raised exorbitantly, he said.
DKS demands dismissal of Home Minister
The KPCC Chief DK Shivakumar demanded dismissal of Home Minister Araga Jnanendra for making provocative and baseless statements which were likely to create communal clashes and create enmity against religions.
Shivakumar said the City Police Commissioner must register a case suo motu against Home Minister for his irresponsible statements and charged that the Home Minister cannot speak on behalf of his ruling BJP but only on behalf of government based on facts. The Home Minister cannot make statements based on hearsay messages, the Congress leader said.
The KPCC Chief also condemned the murder incident in J J Nagar and demanded that the culprits must be punished. But the incident does not involve Urdu language and the youth was mercilessly beaten and stabbed, he said criticising the Home Minister for his statement on hearsay facts and later retracting himself.
He also attacked the BJP national general secretary C T Ravi and wondered what the former minister would say to the family of the victims.
Shivakumar said Jnanendra was known for making irresponsible and insensitive comments and mentioned that he had once termed the police officers as dogs, who eat left-overs. In the Mysore rape incident, the Home Minister went to the extent of criticising the girl for going out in the night.
Asked what the party will do if a case was not registered against the Home Minister, the State Congress president said the party would wait and then lodge a complaint on its own. “Let us see what the Bommai government is going to do,” he said.
Shivakumar said the party would hold a protest in the city against price rise on April 11 at the freedom park. The district units have been asked to hold protests on any day during this week in their respective districts, he said.