In protest against the price rise, the Congress workers burned the effigies of government in all district headquarters on Friday. In provisional state capital Dehradun, the Congress party workers and leaders assembled at the Rajiv Bhawan from where they marched to Astley Hall.

Addressing the party workers and leaders, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president, Pritam Singh said that the government has given a ‘New Year gift’ to the people of the country by increasing the prices.  He said that the increase in price of cooking gas, hike in rail fare and increased cost of government health service has increased the burden on the common man who is already reeling under an unprecedented price rise. The PCC president claimed that the prices of general commodities are at their peak during the BJP regime and the general public is forced to bear the brunt of the price hike.

He said that the prices of petrol and diesel are increasing regularly even though the international crude price is going down. The Congress leader claimed that the crude prices were around 150 US dollars during the regime of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) but the prices of petrol and diesel were kept in control by the then government. He said that the prices of crude are low now but the Government is regularly increasing prices of petrol and diesel. Shouting slogans against the government, the Congress workers then consigned an effigy of the government to the flames.

The vice president of the state unit of the Congress party, Surya Kant Dhasmana, former MLA, Rajkumar, Mahanagar President, Lal Chand Sharma, spokespersons R P Raturi, Garima Dasauni other Congress leaders and large number of party workers were present on the occasion. Similar protests were held in different parts of the state on the day.