Haryana Cong holds protest in Kaithal against fuel hike, NEET exam paper leak

The Haryana Congress here on Friday held district-level protest demonstrations against the increase in petrol and diesel prices, alleged NEET exam paper leak, 'rising' inflation and other issues.

Haryana Congress president Rao Narender Singh and party's national general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, Kaithal MLA Aditya Surjewala and a number of party workers marched through the city as part of the protest.

They marched to the district secretariat via Pehowa Chowk, carrying gas cylinders on rickshaws and raising slogans against the BJP-led central and Haryana governments.

A memorandum addressed to the president was submitted to the district administration against the fuel hike.

Addressing the gathering, Surjewala claimed that the Narendra Modi government had collected Rs 43 lakh crore in revenue from petrol and diesel over the last 12 years through ''high taxes and price increases''.

In just the last eight days, petrol and diesel prices have been hiked by Rs 3.90 per litre, he said.

Surjewala also mentioned the increase in the price of commercial LPG cylinder.

He said the government follows a pattern of raising fuel prices after elections.

Singh strongly criticised the BJP government at the Centre over the ''continuous increase in petrol and diesel prices''.

He alleged that the anti-people policies of the central government have forced citizens to bear the double burden of inflation.

He also said that the ''constant rise in fuel prices'' is pushing the common man's life into crisis and severely disturbing household budgets across the country.

The state Congress chief said that the increase in diesel prices has the greatest impact on transportation and the prices of essential commodities.

He added that the agricultural sector is also facing serious consequences due to the fuel hike.

The rising cost of diesel-operated tractors, tube wells and irrigation pumps is continuously increasing farming expenses, pushing farmers deeper into financial distress, he said.

He also said that every family in the country today is troubled by inflation.

On the alleged NEET paper leak, Singh said the youth of the country are on the streets today because the government has proven completely incapable of even conducting exams.

''A paper leak in an important exam like NEET is a direct assault on the future of millions of hardworking students,'' he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)