Hundreds of leaders and members of Hojai District Congress Committee participated in a protest demonstration against the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, fuel, unemployment, and anti-farmers law.
The Congress workers and leaders staged the protest in front of the office of the deputy commissioner at Sankardevnagar in Hojai on Tuesday.
The protestors reached the protest site on bicycles.
They shouted slogans like Congress Zindabad, Rahul Gandhi Zindabad, BJP Go Back, Sonowal Sarkar Hai Hai, ‘Himanta Biswa Sarma, Shildatiya Dev Murdabad’.
The protesters lambasted both the BJP governments at the Centre and state for the increase in the prices of essentials goods, fuel.
They also lashed out at the government for its failure to solve the unemployment problem and the controversy over the contentious farm law.
The protestors said, “The prices of petrol, kerosene, diesel, cooking gas and essential commodities are on the rise in a rapid scale. The governments, both in Centre and state, have completely failed to control the situation and provide relief to the common man.”
“The situation turned sensational as the deputy commissioner, Dr. Sadnek Singh, showed no response to accept our memorandum,” said a leader of the party.
Talking to Northeast Now, Bijay Chakraborty, general secretary, Hojai District Congress said, “The Congress workers were to submit a memorandum regarding the hike in prices of essentials goods, unemployment and Farmers Act to the DC which was to be forwarded to the Governor of the state.”
“But the DC didn’t show any interest to accept our memorandum; there was no response from his side even after our repeated requests,” Chakraborty alleged.
Chakraborty informed, “While we were demonstrating in front of the gate of the DC office, an official approached us to submit the memorandum to him but Hojai District Congress president, Dr. A.K Dey, replied to him that we have prior permission of the DC that our delegation of five members will submit the same to him.”
“We asked the official to let our delegation to enter the office. Then our delegation was allowed to meet the DC. However, inside the office, the personal secretary of the DC asked us to wait for some minutes as the DC was busy in a meeting.
“We kept his request and waited outside. But after 15 minutes, we saw that the DC entered his conference room, ignoring us.
“Then our delegation knocked the door of the conference hall and requested the DC to come out for a minute and accept our memorandum. But we got no response from him, even after our repeated requests,” Chakraborty alleged.
After this, the Congress workers, led by Hojai Congress president Dey shouted slogans like ‘DC Murdabad’, ‘DC Hatao’, ‘Assam Sarkar Hai Hai’.
Chakraborty termed it as a ‘black day’ in the history of Hojai.
He said, “We reside in a democratic country where every citizen has a right to protest against the anti-citizens policies of government and it is the duty of public servant to listen to everyone whoever approaches him and accept their grievances and forward the same to the concerned authority.”
During the protest, former minister and Hojai Congress president Dr. Ardhendu Kumar Dey, former MLA Swapan Kar and many other members of the party were present.