JAMMU, Jun 3: The District Congress Committee (DCC) Jammu Urban on Tuesday organized a strong protest at Shaheedi Chowk, Jammu, against rising inflation, unemployment and recurring paper leaks. The demonstration was led by DCC Jammu Urban President Yogesh Sawhney and presided over by JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla.
The protest witnessed the participation of Chief Spokesperson JKPCC Ravinder Sharma, former MP T.S. Bajwa, former MLC and Incharge Headquarters Ved Mahajan, former MLA Indu Pawar, former Minister Yash Paul Kundal, former DCC Jammu Urban President Thakur Manmohan Singh, Kanta Bhan, along with scores of Congress workers, women, youth, local residents and senior party leaders. The participants voiced strong concern over rising prices of essential commodities, increasing unemployment and repeated paper leaks affecting the youth.
Addressing the gathering, Raman Bhalla said that inflation has emerged as one of the biggest challenges facing ordinary families across the country. He alleged that the continuous rise in the prices of food items, cooking gas, fuel, medicines, electricity and other essential commodities has severely affected household budgets, particularly those of middle-class families, daily wage earners, pensioners and economically weaker sections. He said that while incomes have remained largely stagnant, expenditures have increased sharply, forcing many families to reduce spending on healthcare, education and nutrition.
Bhalla further stated that the economic burden is being felt by farmers, traders, transporters, small business owners and salaried employees. He maintained that rising fuel prices have triggered higher transportation costs, resulting in increased prices of food grains, vegetables and other daily-use items. Calling for immediate corrective measures, he advocated rationalization of fuel prices, strengthening of the public distribution system, enhanced support for farmers and small businesses, measures to curb profiteering and targeted relief for economically weaker sections.
Speaking on the occasion, Yogesh Sawhney said the Congress Party’s agitation reflected the growing frustration among citizens struggling to cope with inflation. He observed that rising prices have become a major concern for housewives, youth, senior citizens and small traders. He asserted that the Congress Party would continue to raise the voice of the people until meaningful relief measures are announced.
Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma highlighted the adverse impact of inflation on employment generation and economic growth. He said higher prices reduce consumer demand, affect businesses and limit job opportunities for young people. He expressed concern over the difficulties faced by small and medium enterprises due to rising operational costs and declining purchasing power.
Senior leader Thakur Manmohan Singh said that despite repeated public concerns, effective intervention capable of providing tangible relief has not been witnessed. He stressed that inflation is no longer merely an economic statistic but a daily reality affecting every household and urged the government to prioritize people’s welfare.
Prominent among those present during the protest were Satish Sharma, Amrit Bali, Shashi Sharma, Dwarka Choudhary, Sanjeev Panda, Vijay Sharma, Kapal Singh Chib, Iqbal Dar, Rajveer Singh, Varinder Manhas, Asha Chandan, Praveen Akhtar, Amna, Suman Wazir, Anuradha Sharma, Michael Wazir, Vijayant Pathania, Sonu Dogra, Rajesh Sharma, Sohit Sharma, Bhavishya Sudan, Mangal Bral, Surinder Kumar, Sat Pal Sapolia, Chander Shekhar, Rakesh Sharma, Latish Sharma, Gurmeet Singh, Sanjeev Katal, Jatin Bhashit, Kewal Krishan Jogi, H.S. Bagi, Nageshwar Narayan, Vijay Malhotra, Rajinder Paul, Ajay Kumar, Janak Raj Mehra, Sakunder Khan, Balbir Singh, S. Praveen Singh, Ram Magotra, Atul Sharma, Raj Kumar Sodi, Yash Angral, Manohar Lal, Vijay Kumar, Parshotam Lal Sharma, Sanjay Sharma, Arun Nayar, Girdhari Lal, Rajesh Paul, Sahil Shagotra, Paras Ram, Gopal Sharma, Shashi Sayal, Varinder Kumar, Paramjeet Pama, Sahil Dogra, Amit Hindu, Deepak Dogra, Jai Paul, Pradeep Kumar, Jagdish Raj and many others.