The Maharashtra Congress has organized a protest march outside the Raj Bhavan here on Friday against the Union government over rising inflation, imposition of Goods and Services Tax on essential items, unemployment and the contentious Agnipath military recruitment scheme.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said inflation was skyrocketing due to the arbitrary policies of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, which was piling on the misery for people by imposing GST on essential items.
The march will begin from Hanging Garden and culminate at Raj Bhavan at 11 am, after which leaders will hold a ‘jail bharo andolan’ (court arrest), and similar programmes will be held in all districts with the participation of MLAs, MPs etc, he said.
“Fuel prices were spiraling and now GST has been imposed on items like milk, curd, paneer, wheat flour, oil, ghee. People are distressed due to the wrong policies of the Centre. The Modi government has imposed GST even on school supplies and hospital treatment,” he said.
“Unemployment has reached a 45-year high. The Centre itself informed Lok Sabha recently that only 7 lakh persons were given jobs against 22 crore applications. The Agnipath scheme is also being opposed by the youth,” he added.
Attacking the Maharashtra government, Patole said farmers from Vidarbha and Marathwada have suffered heavy losses due to floods and compensation should be paid to them immediately.
He also slammed Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for some of his recent statements, including about the contribution of Gujaratis and Rajasthanis in making Mumbai the country’s financial capital.
He has tarnished the post of governor and his statements reflect the teachings of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Patole alleged.
