Ranchi: On the eve of declaration of assembly election results in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, JMM on Sunday announced that the party will soon hit the streets protesting rise in prices of essential items since 2014, sharpening its attack on the NDA govt at the Centre.JMM central general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said, “From 2014 to 2026, be it food items, fertiliser, transportation costs or for that matter prices of every commodity have increased by two-and-a-half times from earlier. Prices of commercial LPG cylinders have gone up to over Rs 3,000, which was Rs 950 in 2014. The price rose by a staggering Rs 1,000 on Friday, making it extremely difficult for owners of small eateries and factories, who may be forced to shut down their businesses and lay off employees.”Bhattacharya said that according to information he has received, prices of petrol will rise by Rs 10-12 per litre, while that of diesel will increase by Rs 15-17 per litre across the country, after the election results are declared on Monday.“The fuel price hike will again impact the prices of essential food items that are exported across the country through roads. Despite the Union petroleum minister’s repeated assurances of having buffer fuel stocks in the country, why are the prices increasing? Private sector small-scale factories, including printing, brass metal and MSMEs are not getting fuel to run their units.”Bhattacharya said that Jharkhand may witness deaths due to starvation, as people are not able to purchase nutritious food items.“During the 2014 parliamentary election, BJP coined the slogan ‘Bohot hua mehengai ka maar, abki bar Modi sarkar’ and formed a govt at the Centre, making price hike an issue. But they burdened people with exorbitant prices. Hence, in 2026, we need to change the slogan to ‘bahut mehengai ka maar, gaddi chhoro Modi sarkar’ and bid farewell to the govt,” he said.
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Countering the allegations, state BJP spokesperson Pratul Sahdeo said the JMM is making baseless allegations that petrol and diesel prices will increase further. “Due to the Prime Minister’s visionary and long-term policies, even after the Gulf crisis, there has been no change in the prices of petrol, diesel, and LPG for common consumers. During 10 years of the UPA govt, diesel prices increased by 220% and petrol by 210%. In contrast, under 12 years of NDA, the prices rose by only 60% and 65%, respectively,” he said.