NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday during the “halla bol” rally took a swipe at the BJP government on the issue of price rise, saying unemployment and inflation were its “two brothers”. People from across the country participated in the rally and voiced up against inflation and other issues. Pandit Vijay Kumar Sharma, a priest, dressed in traditional garb, attended the rally after offering prayers at his temple in North Delhi.
“I came to the rally because it speaks out against inflation and corruption. Many daily wagers end up killing themselves as they fail to provide for their families. A common person is drowning in debt, and food and other needs are now subject to tax.”
He added, “Leaving this aside, the current administration is extremely dangerous because it has split not only the Muslims and Hindus but Hindus within themselves as well. If one speaks against the government, they are called anti-national. They talk about caste but educated Brahmins like me are still looking for a decent job!”
A woman named Jyoti Chandwa, stood out in the large crowd, as she was wearing all-black attire along with a garland made of Indian rupee notes as a neck ornament. Chandwa who travelled all the way from Hathras in Uttar Pradesh said, “Why is inflation not discussed in the media? When LPG was only `400 back in the day, Smriti Irani was spotted protesting in the street against the Congress government.”
She added, “Today, the LPG cylinders cost more than Rs 1,000 but if a middle-class man makes roughly Rs 30,000 per month and has a family to feed, how can he afford a fundamental necessity like a gas cylinder?” Another woman, Bindu Jatai Maruti, who came all the way from Chattisgarh, was spotted adorning vegetables around her neck.
Maruti said, “Purchasing basic vegetables under the existing government was incredibly painful for a common man.” Around 14,000 supporters from Chattisgarh alone attended the rally. Most of the supporters continued to look up to Rahul Gandhi as the sole legitimate leader of the Congress, thus, he continued to serve as the group’s “poster boy.”
The rally was held in advance of the opposition party’s 3,500-kilometer “Bharat Jodo Yatra,” which will begin on September 7 and highlight issues like the cost of rice and unemployment while fostering interfaith harmony.
The massive ‘Mehangai Par Halla Bol’ rally at Ramlila Maidan here, intended to corner the government over price rise and unemployment as well as to galvanise the party’s rank and file, also saw Congress workers who gathered here from across the country raising slogans for Rahul Gandhi to take over the party leadership once again.