The Delhi Congress workers on Sunday staged a massive protest outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence over the rise in prices of onion and other essential commodities and accused the city Government of “failing” to take action against hoarders and speculators.

leading the protest, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Ajay Maken said ‘thali-peet’ (utensil-beating) demonstration was held to “awaken” Kejriwal from his “deep slumber”, as the Aam Aadmi Party leader seemed to be “oblivious” to the price rise of such commodities in the city.

“Prices of essential commodities have gone through the roof, making lives of people unbearable. Onions were selling at prices ranging from Rs 80 to Rs 100, and the AAP Government has not done anything to check the price rise, nor taken action against hoarders and speculators,” Maken alleged.

The Congress leader said the Government has “not bothered” to supply essential commodities to people at affordable prices.”Other reasons for the price rise was that the Kejriwal Government had increased Value Added Tax (VAT) on essential commodities, and also put entry tax on goods vehicles coming from outside the capital,” Maken was quoted as saying in a statement.

The DPCC chief added, “The Congress Government had ruled Delhi for 15 years and whenever the price of a particular essential commodity went up, it took measures to make such commodities available to the people at reasonable prices”. Besides Maken, several other Congress leaders also participated in the demonstration.

Hitting out at the Delhi  Government, Maken said it was an irony that the Kejriwal Government, which talks of eradicating corruption, has witnessed the sad spectacle of three of  its MlAs, including its law Minister, going to jail on corruption charges, but Kejriwal has not taken any action against the three accused MlAs, which clearly shows the Kejriwal Government’s attitude towards corruption is just an eyewash.

He said the truth was that Kejriwal was not interested in checking corruption in Delhi, and that was the reason he was neither bringing  a lokpal, nor appointing a lokayukta.

Maken said the Kejriwal Government had resigned in its first stint after 49 days in power, alleging that the AAP was not allowed to pass the lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly, but Kejriwal now realises that if a lokpal or a lokayukta is appointed in Delhi, then action would have to be taken against

Arvind Kejriwal himself, and 29 of his MlAs who are accused of corruption, against whom the Delhi Congress has already filed a complaint with the Delhi lokayukta Office.