Congress campaign targets state govt on price hike, inflation

Mumbai: In order to confront the ruling Mahayuti government on inflation, unemployment and rising prices of essential commodities which is disrupting the financial stability of ordinary families, the Congress party on Friday launched statewide ‘Kharche Pe Charcha’ campaign (discussion on the expenses).
This campaign will be carried out in all villages and talukas across the 288 constituencies where Mahila Congress leaders will meet women and discuss their plight of running their households amid soaring prices.
Announcing the initiative, Alka Lamba, the national president of All India Mahila Congress said that the party workers will bang vessels to draw Mahayuti’s attention to this issue.
“We will go to every village and ask the women about their budget and how they are reeling with difficulties,” she stated.
Lamba claimed that the state government is cheating the women by bringing in the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, a direct cash benefit scheme that provides ₹1,500 per month to women from 21 to 65 years of age, ahead of the state assembly elections.
“Why did they bring the scheme just before the state assembly elections and why not earlier as they have been in the government for many years now,” she asked, questioning the motive of the Mahayuti government.
She cautioned the women voters saying that it can be deception by the BJP led government as they have yet to start providing cooking gas cylinders at ₹450 guaranteed by PM Modi during the campaign for Rajasthan assembly elections. “Ask anyone in Rajasthan if they are getting the benefit of the scheme,” she insisted.
The implementation of the initiative started from Friday, when women Congress leaders met women voters in Versova and Chembur assembly constituencies in Mumbai.
They also launched a poster that explained the rising inflation graph by comparing prices of petrol, diesel, cooking gas cylinders, onion, tomato, and pulses during the Congress and BJP governments. Another poster launched by the party showed that the PM Modi-led BJP government has imposed 18% to 28% GST on goods such as toothpaste, mobile phones, two-wheelers, refrigerators and other things whereas the GST charges on luxury items such as diamonds, helicopters, aircraft and cruise travel are 1.05%, 5%, 5% and 5% respectively. “This shows the government is working for whom and which is the most affected class with the GST in this government,” Lamba said, charging at the Modi government.
Meanwhile, the party has also completed its review of 172 assembly seats and is expected to complete the reviewing process on all 288 seats by September 25. The party’s Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala said, “The people of Maharashtra are looking for a change and in the upcoming state assembly elections, the opposition-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition is going to win a two-thirds majority of seats,” he remarked.