#SpeakUpAgainstFuelHike: Congress holds protests; many party leaders, workers detained in Delhi, Gujarat 

Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar, Party leader Parvez Ahmed and party workers were detained by police at a petrol pump near Parmanand hospital for staging a protest across the city against hike in fuel prices, raising slogans against the BJP-led central government and the AAP dispensation in the national capital.

Kumar said police detained him and party workers as they tried to go to Raj Niwas, which is Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal's official residence, to lodge their protest against the rising prices of petrol and diesel.

Hundreds of Karnataka Congress leaders and cadres on Monday staged a cycle rally in Bengalore against steep hike in petrol and diesel prices by the Central government.

"The cycle rally in Bengaluru and across the southern state is a part of our nationwide protest against increasing petrol and diesel prices by state-run oil marketing firms due to increase in excise duty by the central government at a time when crude oil is trading at its lowest price the world over," a party leader said.

Party's state unit president D.K. Shivakumar, opposition leader in the Assembly Siddaramaiah, party's state unit working president Sameer Ahmed and senior leaders Ramalinga Reddy and Dinesh Gunde Rao participated in the cycle rally from the party's office to the Income-Tax office.

In this tech city, petrol price rose to Rs 83.04 per litre and diesel Rs 76.58 a litre after a 21-day rally till Saturday.

The Congress party protested against incessant fuel price hike across the country and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to rollback the prices.

The opposition party has repeatedly criticised the Central Government for inflating fuel prices at a time when the country is fighting against the coronavirus disease.

The protests are being held in Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Patna, among other places.

Police said they were detained around 10 am and would be released soon.

Protesting against the fuel price hike, the Delhi Congress chief, said, "People are already suffering from coronavirus and consequences of lockdown. At such a time, the rise in prices of petrol and diesel by the Modi government and Kejriwal government in Delhi is adding to their woes."

Meanwhile, Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda and nearly 50 other party workers were also detained in Ahmedabad on Monday while they were trying to take out a rally against the ruling BJP at the Centre over the fuel price hike, police said.

They were not given permission for such a gathering, a senior police official said.

The opposition party also organised similar protests in Rajkot, Vadodara and Surat districts of Gujarat and demanded roll back of the hike.

In Ahmedabad, Chavda and 50 other Congress workers, including MLA Gyasuddin Shaikh, were detained near Sardar Baug area while trying to take out a rally against the increased prices of petrol and diesel.

Police said the demonstrators were not given permission for such a gathering or for taking out a rally.

Before being detained, Chavda slammed the government over the fuel price hike and denying permission for the protest.

"This government is not ready to understand the plight of the people, who were first hit by coronavirus and now by fuel price hike. We will continue to raise the issues concerning citizens, who were literally abandoned by this government. We want the Centre to roll back the hike," Chavda told reporters before his detention.

Congress workers in other parts of the state were also detained for holding protests over the issue, officials said.

In Patna too the Congress workers on Monday hit the streets to protest against the rising prices of petrol and diesel. The protesters raised slogans against the Narendra Modi government at the Centre during the agitation. Some of the protesters rode bicycles, bullock carts and horse carts to protest against the rising fuel prices.

The demonstration was led by Congress state president Madan Mohan Jha. The protesters targeted both the central and state governments for the fuel price hike and rising inflation.

The party's youth wing, the Indian Youth Congress, also protested against the unregulated hike in the prices of petrol and diesel. On Sunday, senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal had said that the party would hold protests in front of the Central government offices.

The Congress has also decided to launch a five-day protest, starting on June 30, against the fuel price hike in each block of the country.

Earlier on Monday, the party also started the #SpeakUpAgainstFuelHike campaign. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to take a swipe at the Central government for the rising fuel prices and urged people to join the campaign against it.

The 50-year-old leader took to Twitter to show his resentment and stated, "Come and join#SpeakUpAgainstFuelHike campaign."

This came after the state-run oil marketing companies raised the prices of petrol and diesel on Monday, a day after there was no hike in rates that were increasing continuously for three weeks.

Diesel price on Monday scaled a new high after prices were hiked for the 22nd time in just over three weeks, taking the cumulative increase to Rs 11.14 per litre.

Petrol price was increased by 5 paise per litre and diesel 13 paise a litre across the country, according to a price notification of state oil marketing companies.

In Delhi, a litre of petrol now comes for Rs 80.43 per litre as compared to Rs 80.38 earlier. Diesel rates have been increased to Rs 80.53 per litre from Rs Rs 80.40.

With input from agencies