The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) would hold State-wide protests from July 7 to 17 against the rising prices of petrol, diesel, LPG, edible oil and other essential commodities. OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik told media that on the first day, party workers and leaders would stage stir before every block office.
They would protest at the district level on July 9 and in the State capital Bhubaneswar on July 14. Besides, the general public would be requested to extend solidarity to the protest by not purchasing fuel on July 15. On July 17, a signature campaign would be held in front of all petrol pumps, Patnaik informed. This apart, Congress workers would conduct a door-to-door survey for a month to collect information on the numbers of Covid-infected people and deaths. The findings would later be submitted to the All India Congress Committee (AICC), said Patnaik.
Meanwhile on the day, the Navnirman Yuva Chhatra Sangathan (NYCS) called a 12-hour State-wide ‘Petrol Pump Bandh’ on July 13 to protest the rise in the prices of petrol, diesel, LPG.
As part of the protest, petrol pumps would remain closed from 6 am to 6 pm on the day. Before this, the outfit would embark on a cycle rally from July 6 as a mark of protest against the Modi Government’s policies and sensitise the public on the issue of rise in the fuel prices. Informing this to reporters, NYCS State coordinator Manwar Ali appealed to public to support the protest.