The state unit of the Congress on Tuesday passed a resolution urging the UPA government at the Centre to reduce the price of fertiliser and LPG cylinder to give relief to the common people and the farmers. The resolution was adopted at an executive committee meeting of the party at Bidhan Bhavan in presence of AICC general secretary and in charge of Bengal Shakeel Ahmed.
“We know that the Centre has taken some reformist measures for the development of the country. However, both ruling Trinamul Congress and Opposition CPI(M) have launched a sustained misinformation campaign against the Centre to mislead the people of the state. We have therefore decided to urge the Centre to reduce the prices of LPG cylinders and fertiliser so that people of our state get some relief,” state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya said after the meeting.
Sources said in the meeting, some important district leaders voiced their unhappiness over the cut in the subsidised LPG cylinders, hike in the price of diesel and fertiliser. They pointed out that Mamata Banerjee as well as the CPI(M) leaders were trying to whip up anti-UPA and anti-Congress sentiments among the people to reap electoral dividends in the coming panchayat polls. “The Congress may have to face backlash of the reforms in the rural polls,” a party MLA from North Bengal said.
The alarm bells had started ringing for the state and district Congress leaders on Saturday when the Jangipur Lok Sabha bypoll result was announced. Mr Bhattacharya acknowledged that Abhijit Mukherjee had to struggle to win the seat. Opinion was divided among the district and state leaders about who should the Congress target as its main opponent in the panchayat polls: the CPI(M) or the Trinamul Congress.