Congress To Hold Rally Against Inflation In Jaipur On December 12

The Congress has decided to hold its public rally against inflation in Jaipur on December 12 after the Delhi Police denied it permission to host the rally in the national capital.

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said on Wednesday the Congress is neither going to get intimidated by the "BJP's tactics" nor is it going to withdraw even an inch from its age-old commitment to raising issues concerning the people.

"It has been decided that the ''Mehangai Hatao'' rally will be organised in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on December 12, 2021 itself. The party will keep raising the voice of the people and keep fighting their battles against this insensitive, arrogant and crony driven government till it does not take corrective measures and provide the much needed relief from inflation," Mr Venugopal said in a statement.

The Congress had decided to organise a massive ‘Mehangai Hatao'' rally in the national capital on December 12 against the rising inflation in the country and the alleged failure of the Centre to bring down the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.

The party had asked for permission for holding the rally, Mr Venugopal said, adding that the Modi government after much effort agreed for the rally to be held in Dwarka, Delhi.

"But the Modi government in a prejudiced conspiracy got the Lt Governor of Delhi to cancel permission for the ''Mehangai Hatao'' rally at Dwarka,” he alleged.

The Delhi Police on Wednesday denied the Congress permission to hold the public rally at Dwarka on December 12 citing COVID-19 guidelines, sources said.

Congress leaders claimed that the BJP government at the Centre is scared of the Congress's ''Mehangai Hatao'' rally and that is the reason behind the refusal.

Top Congress leaders, including party chief Sonia Gandhi and former party president Rahul Gandhi, were to address the rally against rising inflation and prices of essential commodities.

"An unnerved and scared BJP has denied permission to the Congress for ''Mehangai Hatao'' rally in Dwarka on December 12," a Congress leader alleged.

He also said that the Delhi Police had earlier granted the permission, but withdrew it as the government did not want to answer the people raising questions on price rise and inflation.

A senior police officer said the permission was denied keeping in view the COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).

Mr Venugopal alleged that the BJP government at the Centre has lost even the pretence of democratic propriety and has started behaving like a “full-fledged authoritarian dictatorship”.

"This is the first government that is neither ready to heed to the MPs nor Parliament or the people. Whenever the Congress party led opposition tries to raise and debate the issues of skyrocketing inflation, record unemployment, sinking economy, misery of the farmers and labourers and the rights of Dalits, adivasis and minority in Parliament, the government in a predetermined conspiracy itself makes Parliament dysfunctional- the houses are simply not allowed to take up these issues and are adjourned on one pretext or the other," he claimed.

It is for the first time in 75 years that even journalists are not being allowed into the Press Gallery, lest they see and report these "sordid machinations" of the government, he said.

"Even as all pervasive and debilitating inflation has started affecting all sections of society, the government, rather than addressing rising prices, is focused on increasing and collecting taxes," Mr Venugopal said.

He said a "jittery" government obviously does not want people to take to the streets.

"They are obviously scared that a massive public rally by the Congress party will bring the issue of inflation to the fore and make the people see starkly that none but the Narendra Modi-led central government is responsible for it," the Congress leader alleged.