BENGALURU: Ahead of Lok Sabha elections, the 8,500-km Bhagat Singh Jan Adhikar Yatra highlighting issues such as unemployment, inflation, corruption, communalism and exploitation of poor people began here on Sunday.
The yatra by Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India (RWPI), Disha Students’ Organisation, Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Bigul Mazdoor Dasta and other organisations will pass through the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, covering over 80 districts, and end in New Delhi on March 3, 2024.
Addressing a gathering, RWPI member Shivani said the last 10 years of Modi's rule unleashed the monster of inflation over the masses and broke their backs. LPG prices increased from Rs 450 in 2014 to Rs 1,000. Petrol, which was sold for Rs 55, now costs Rs 100. Prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed.
The reason for the price rise is the taxes being imposed on the people by the government.
Referring to the Centre for Monitoring India Economy (CMIE) report, the speakers stated that unemployment in October hit a record 10.1 per cent, the highest in the last 29 months. Many unemployed youth have gone into depression and some died by suicide, they said. A member of Naujawan Bharat Sabha said that it is crucial to make people aware of the “divide and rule” propaganda being spread by the union government instead of tackling the people’s problems.