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Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) will observe a six-hour 'Chaka jam' agitation in the twin city of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack on Monday to protest the rising fuel prices
As per reports, party leaders and activists will gather at various places between 6 AM to 12 noon and request people to halt their vehicles and support the strike.
The party will protest the unprecedented rise in prices of petrol, diesel and LPG by the Centre and demand slash in the prices. It will also demand for cutting of the 26 per cent VAT collected by the State government.
“We have requested the residents of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar to protest the rise in fuel prices. All should stop using their vehicles and any machinery that runs with diesel and petrol,” said OPCC chief Niranjan Patnaik.
Terming the Chaka jam call by Congress as a welcome step, BJD spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Pratap Deb said that BJD has already launched an agitation in protest of the price rise.
“The Central government’s failure to control the soaring petrol prices has harrased the common man. We have already met the Governor in this connection and staged agitation in all district headquarters,” said Deb.
On the other hand BJP alleged that such an agitation by Congress proves that the BJD is using the former as its crutches. “Had the Congress pressurised the State government to slash tax on fuel prices, it would have benefited the consumers. But by calling for the strike, Congress is behaving like a crutch of BJD,” said BJP spokesperson Golak Mohapatra.
Meanwhile, the Commissionerate Police has upped its sleeves to tighten security measures in view of the agitation."Around 10 platoons of force will be deployed in various areas identified by the Police,” informed Cuttack DCP Akhileshvar Singh.
Following the country-wide resentment over the rising fuel prices, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has requested all State governments to reduce the VAT.
