Congress rally against price rise starts by paying respects to Pahalgam victims

Members of Indian Youth Congress protest against the Union Government for rise in prices of fuel and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders, in New Delhi on April 12, 2025. Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar claimed that the day BJP announced Jana Akrosha rally, the Union Government increased the price of domestic LPG cylinder by ₹50.
| Photo Credit: ARUN SANKAR

Senior Congress leaders inaugurated a rally to protest against the NDA-led Union Government, in Belagavi on April 28, by paying respects to the tourists from Karnataka who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir.

All leaders and delegates observed a minute’s silence before the rally began. They mocked the price rise by garlanding domestic LPG cylinders. A few women beneficiaries of the guarantee schemes shared their experience and thanked the government of Karnataka.

Most leaders said that the prices of all essential commodities had increased in an unprecedented manner due to the ‘wrong economic policies’ of the NDA government at the Centre.

Asif (Raju) Sait, MLA and district unit president, welcomed the leaders. He said that the Congress had strongly opposed the terror attack in Kashmir. “The Congress will support the Union Government in all the tough measures it plans and takes against terrorists,” he said.

He said that the Bharat Jodo padayatra by Rahul Gandhi was a historic event to spread the message of love. “The ideology of the Congress is the ideology of the Constitution. All of us should accept and follow it. That is the only solution to our problems,” he said.

Laxmanrao Chingale, Chikkodi district unit president, accused the BJP of trying to make the life of the poor worse so that they do not have any time to reflect on the governance of the Union Government.

Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar said that the government of Karnataka is spending around ₹80,000 crore per year on various guarantees and direct benefit transfer schemes, which was unprecedented. “We are the only government who have fulfilled our promises in less than 100 days. The State BJP has organised the Jana Akrosha rally only to distract people from the failures of the Union Government and the infighting in the State BJP,” she said.

“Karnataka BJP has not succeeded in its rallies. It has stopped them half-way. That is because the Union Government is behind the price rise, and not the government of Karnataka. The day they announced Jana Akrosha rally, the Union Government increased the price of domestic LPG cylinder by ₹50. It was a slap on their face,” she said.

“I urge you to compare the price of food items, cooking oil, petrol and diesel, gas cylinder, fertiliser, cement and other commodities. All this is because BJP leaders are supporting their corporate friends who are interested only in profit. After the Kashmir terror attacks, the Union Government should have arranged free transport for families of the victims. But there were no flights available immediately. The ticket prices were so high. The Centre should be ashamed of not providing transport to the victims. It was the Karnataka government that helped them return home safely,” she said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D. K. Shivakumar, Ministers Satish Jarkiholi, H. K. Patil, K. H. Muniyappa, M. B. Patil, H. C. Mahadevappa, R. B. Thimmapur, MLAs Laxman Savadi, Baba Patil, Raju Kage, former MLAs Firoz Sait and Anjali Nimbalkar, AICC leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala, Nasir Hussein, and Gopinath P. were among those who addressed the gathering.