SHIMLA: Joining its country-wide the anti-price rise protests, Himachal Pradesh Congress today staged protests all over the state and in the capital city ahead of the Aam Aadmi Party’s show of strength scheduled for April 6 in Mandi, home district of the Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.
Both BJP and Congress are concerned over the Kejriwal show in Mandi. BJP has planned statewide Maha samalen of karyakartas, which would be addressed by Prime Minister Narender Modi virtually from Delhi.
In its bid to recharge its cadre, Himachal Pradesh Congress’ protest, led by state incharge Rajiv Shukla, who is also a CWC member, targeted the BJP government at the state and the centre and blamed the price rise on the anti-poor and anti-common people policies being pursued by the Modi government.
But there are others who said that the protest was aimed at preempting “possible defection of the Congress leaders or cadre to the AAP. AAP has planned a big show at Mandi in which AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhawant Mann, who scripted historic victory of AAP in last Punjab assembly elections and other state leaders would try to make a political cut in Himachal Pradesh. There are indications that certain Congress leaders might join AAP on April 6 while Kejriwal may make a clarion call for the coming HP assembly elections.
But Shukla remained unfazed by such reports while addressing the party workers at the protest venue in front of the DC, Shimla office today. Shukla however asserted that the Congress won all the four by elections- Mandi Lok Sabha, three assembly seats Jubbal Kotkhai, Arki and Fatehpur in Himachal and would continue to repeat the victory march in both Shimla Municipal Corporation and the Himachal state assembly. People have made up their mind to show door to the Jai Ram Thakur government, he claimed.
He said that the prices of petrol and diesel and LPG cylinder have gone through the roof hitting the poor and common people in the state and the country as whole. The BJP government increased the prices soon after it won four state assembly elections and as a result, there is a 10 per cent hike in transportation, hitting the general public, Congress leaders claimed. 
Shukla charged the BJP was doing injustice to the employees of state not restoring the old pension scheme.
As a mark of priest, Congress leaders including HP Congress President Kuldeep Singh Rathaur, CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri and other Congress leaders Harsh Mahajan, Kusumpati MLA Anirudh Singh, Harish Janartha, former deputy Mayor of Shimla, general secretary Rajneesh Kimta, Congress councilors and others hold LPG gas cylinder at protest venue to demonstrate and symbolize the rising prices of the petrol and diesel in the country.
The Congress tried to put up a united front ahead of the Shimla Municipal corporation elections. “Congress is united and will win the Shimla municipal elections from the BJP and AAP would make no difference”, Shukla said. “The main fight will be between the Congress and the BJP in the coming state assembly elections. It will have no impact on prospects of the Congress in the state”, he claimed.
State Congress President Kuldeep Singh Rathour said the present BJP government of Jai Ram Thakur has lost confidence as BJP lost all the four seats in bylections and resentment of people have increased over the period of time. Congress is prepared to fight Shimla Municipal Corporation elections and the party has already won Solan and Palamput municipal corporations last year, he added.
Mukesh Agnihotri said the BJP government has broken the backbone of the commonman by increasing the prices of petrol and diesel. The unemployment among state youth is at its highest. The poor people and middle class are hard hit by the prises. The people have already taught a lesson to the state BJP government, but it has failed to arrest the surge in prices, he claimed.
