The opposition Congress in Meghalaya did not join the ‘Bharat Bandh” called by the party high command all over the country on Monday.
Instead, Congress leaders and party functionaries staged a walk from Khyndai Lad, the main commercial centre in the city to Congress Bhavan in protest against price rise.
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AICC general secretary in-charge Meghalaya, Luizinho Faleiro, Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma, Congress MP from Shillong, Vincent H Pala, and other Congress MLAs, former MLAs and functionaries of the party joined the walk. Later they gathered for few hours at Congress Bhavan.
Faleiro in his address slammed the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre for increasing the price of petrol and diesel and asked the party in Meghalaya to also take up other issues that affect the farmers, problems being faced by teachers and health scheme.
Faleiro said the economic situation in the country is not encouraging under the leadership of Modi and the party is fighting against “looters” who robbed from the citizens of the country.
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He claimed that during the Congress-led UPA government, when the price of crude oil increased, the UPA government took some measures and brought down the price of fuel in the country.
“During the UPA government, the price of crude oil was 107.09 dollar per barrel on May 16, 2014. The present price of international crude is 73 dollar per barrel but still the price of petrol and diesel continue to skyrocket at higher levels during the Modi-led government,” Faleiro said while questioning at the NDA government’s promises.
He said that the BJP had alleged the UPA government of corruption, and promised to the people of the country of bringing back black money, help the farmers to double their income but failed to keep its promises.
“They (BJP) promised to bring good days, but we have bad days,” he said.
Similarly, Mukul Sangma said the whole country has witnessed angry and anguish over the anti-people measures and agendas of the BJP-led NDA government.
On hike of petroleum products, Mukul Sangma recalled relief measures taken by the previous Congress-led government in Meghalaya, and wondered if the present MDA government could do something to bring relief to the people of the state.
“We have done it during our time which led to the reduction of fuel price in the state. It is a question of knowing the art of running the government, and if they don’t’ know, it is their problem,” the former chief minister said.
During the day, the Bharat Bandh called by the Congress all over the country did not have any impact in Meghalaya.
In Meghalaya, the High Court has banned bandh, strike and other agitations called by militant outfits or other organizations in the state.