Congress party activists staging a protest demanding the government reduce the skyrocketing prices of vegetables, at the Municipal Market in Tirupati on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Senior Congress leader Chinta Mohan has sought the Central and State governments to intervene immediately in the tomato crisis that gripped the country for over a month.
The former Union Minister and Congress party members staged a protest demonstration at the Municipal Vegetable Market here on Saturday.
Dr. Chinta Mohan said that middle-class and below-poverty line families were severely affected by the steep rise in the prices of the vegetable to ₹160 a kg.
He demanded the Centre and the State governments arrange the sale of tomatoes on high subsidy, at ₹30 a kg, in open markets.
He also demanded that the Jagan Mohan Reddy government reduce the prices of other essential vegetables and provisions.
Mr. Chinta Mohan said that the Congress party was committed to slashing the price of the LPG cylinder if it is voted to power at the Centre. He also demanded the NDA government brings down the LPG price to ₹500 from ₹1200.
Later, he staged a protest at the Gandhi Road junction, demanding the State government prevent the private colleges from fleecing the students for exorbitant tuition fees.
He also said that the hike in bus fares was becoming a burden to the common people. “Compared to the neighbouring States of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the Andhra Pradesh government had resorted to hiking the bus fare many times,” he said.
He also announced that the Congress party would chalk out an action plan to hold agitations against price rise, in the State.