Biking around, CPM MLA protests oil price hike

Miriyalaguda (Nalgonda): Communist Party of India (Marxist) legislator Julakanti Ranga Reddy, lambasting the government for the exorbitant hike in the prices of diesel and petrol, went around in his constituency pedaling the bicycle on Sunday to mark the protest.

Covering about 70 km throughout the day on Sunday he participated in various programmes in the constituency pedaling the bicycle. He inaugurated a shop and observed the damaged roads at Kukkadam Cheruvu and Kalvalapalem. He covered Settipalem, Moklapatnam, Kalvalapalem, Bommikal, Bhimanapalle, Topucharla, Vemulapalli, and other villages all the way meeting people of various sections. Villagers at places appealed to the MLA to introduce bus services to their village and to undertake repair work to the culvert and others.

Addressing a series of meetings, the MLA flayed the Centre and state governments for their failure in controlling the price hike. “Both the governments have been encouraging the Foreign Direct Investment only for the benefit of the multi-national companies,” he said. The recent price hike of petrol and diesel would only burden the common man more, he said. “The diesel price hike would result in further price hike of essential commodities and bus fares,” he added. He warned that the CPM would launch a massive agitation if the government did not act to control the prices in the larger interest of people.

Meanwhile, the CPM leaders and activists staged a dharna at the district headquarters of Nalgonda protesting against the price hike of diesel and petrol. They said that the central government had betrayed the people once again with the price hike. They appealed to the people to drive away the government. They alleged that the government had colluded with the capitalists. The agitation would continue till the hiked prices were rolled back, they said.