• Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura 

Agartala, August , 2022 : Befooling the countrymen with the dream of ‘Acche Din’ in 2014, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government started an autocratic regime in favour of capitalist and declared war against common people especially poor people, unemployed youths, imposing excise duty of petroleum products, GST in every essential commodity and closing down of over two crore small industries across the nation, said Tripura’s former minister and current Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman on Friday.

Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee on Friday organized a ‘Civil Disobedience Movement’ and held ‘Raj Bhavan Gherao Abhiyan’ at Circuit House area here in Agartala city.

Addressing the gathering, Roy Barman said that the country is in a dire situation. “In the recent parliamentary discussion, it is revealed that the current inflation is at an all-time high in the last 30 years and this inflation has reached double digits in the last 14 years. People are well aware about the ‘ferrywala’ i.e. Prime Minister Modi said ‘Acche Din aayenge’. During that period, a gas cylinder costs Rs 410 while petrol costs Rs 61.”

Citing a comparison of Congress and BJP governments regime, he said “The excise duty called tax was Rs 9.48 on per litre of petrol during UPA government’s regime, which has now been increased to Rs 32.98 during NDA government’s regime. Similarly, excise duty on per litre of diesel was Rs 3.56, now it is Rs 31.83 per litre.”

“During the UPA government, 27 crore people of the country who were living below the poverty line, were uplifted from the BPL category in 10 years. While the NDA government’s report in 2021, which has been placed in the parliament, is far from lifting the poor people rather 23 crore people in the country have to move to the BPL category in the 8 years of PM Narendra Modi’s regime.”

“People will curse this government, the statistics of poverty in the country is increasing day by day. Income of 97 percent of people in this country have been reduced and this is mainly due to demonetization on November 8, 2016. And now, in the aftermath of the unscientific unplanned GST, 2,30,000 small industries have closed down in the country, and crores of people have become jobless and unemployed”, Roy Barman told the gathering.

Congress MLA also said “Thus, in 2014-15, when the Modi government came to power for the first time, their tax collection through various taxes increased by 34 percent, i.e. from Rs.27.27 lakh crore to Rs.5 lakh crore in 21-22 as shown in the estimated budget. However, after this increase, GST has started to be levied again on daily necessities – rice, dal, wheat, pencil, sharpner, pulses, etc. GST has started to be imposed on everything, what people will eat then. Eating pulses has become a nightmare for people.”

“The poor people are not getting more than one meal in the country now, the farmers are committing suicide, the unemployed have stolen their heads, two crores had dreamed of providing employment every year. It is shameful to see that 1.3 million people have lost their jobs during this NDA government’s regime”, he also added.

Roy Barman said “When the Congress agitated over all these issues, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were sent to the ED. When Sonia Gandhi Rahul Gandhi speaks against unemployment on Agnipath scheme, temple mosque, Hindu Muslim stories are arranged to divert people’s attention. The country is going to hell today, people are disoriented. The Congress party started organizing the movement in a new way. Earlier also we have taken to the streets and protested for ‘Mehengay Mukt India’. But in this country, dissenters’ voices do not count either inside or outside Parliament.”

At last, Congress MLA Roy Barman appealed to the people that there is no more time to sit, the people of the country have understood, the real naked face has been revealed in front of people. “Now, it’s time to organize a movement in the interests of people at a fast pace, taking people with them. If there is no solution for the people of the country, if the commodity prices do not come under control, if the Agnipath scheme is not repealed, then the Congress will stage larger movements in the coming days.”

The movement was attended by former Congress state president Gopal Chandra Roy, former MLA Asish Kumar Saha, PCC president Birajit Sinha and others.