Bihar: Opposition Mahagathbandhan Holds Massive Protest Against Price Rise and Unemployment

Patna: Thousands of opposition Mahagathbandhan leaders, workers and supporters took to streets across Bihar on Sunday to protest against the price rise and unemployment in the country. During the statewide ‘Pratirodh March', they shouted slogans against the failure of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government to control the soaring prices that have badly affected the people and to provide jobs to youths.

Opposition Mahagathbandhan including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and Left parties jointly staged protests in all the district headquarters to highlight rising inflation and joblessness. Mahagathbandhan’s workers with flags of their respective parties in their hands loudly shouted slogans like ‘Narendra Modi sharam karo, sharam nahi to dub maro (Mr Modi, have some shame; drown yourself otherwise)’, ‘Roko mehengai bandho daam, nahi to hoga chakka jam (Stop inflation, control prices, or else face people’s protests)’, ‘Jo sarkar mehengai na roke, wo sarkar nikammi hai, jo sarkar nikammi hai wo sarkar badalni hai (The government that can’t control inflations is a useless one and if a government is a useless one, we need to change it)’.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is also the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, took to the streets along with hundreds of leaders and workers of Mahagathbandhan. He led the Pratirodh March of Mahagathbandhan in Patna.

Tejashwi began his Pratirodh March after senior RJD leader and former chief minister Rabri Devi formally flagged it off at 10, Circular Road – her official residence.

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for rising inflation, Tejashwi said, “People across the country have been suffering due to price rise, joblessness, and corruption but the Modi-led government is silent and busy in suppressing the voice of the people by using CBI, ED and other agencies to target opposition leaders.”

He added that the issues are not hitting only the poorest of the poor, but the lower middle class and middle class are also facing a difficult time.

“Amid the sky-high prices of petrol, diesel followed by edible oil, vegetables and all other items, the government should focus on controlling the soaring inflation. But instead, it is doing politics, keeping in mind the next elections, not the interest of the people,” he alleged.

Hours before the protest, Tejashwi, posting on social media, said that the NDA government is neither serious about the price rise and unemployment nor keen to discuss it. “In a democracy, it is a matter of worry for the people,” he said.

As per reports, RJD workers took out protest marches in all 38 district headquarters in Bihar, including Patna. Ignoring the scorching heat and high humidity, they came out in huge numbers to join the protest. The leaders and workers took part in protest processions on bullock carts, bicycles, and also hand carts. Some carried empty LPG cylinders on their heads to send a strong message about their rising prices.

A large number of leaders and workers from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and Congress participated in the protest.