Congress questions govt on price rise, unemployment  

The Congress on Tuesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the increasing prices of petrol, diesel and food items like onions and other vegetables.

Newly-appointed Congress spokesperson Sharmishtha Mukherjee said that onions are being sold at Rs 70 per kg and the price of tomatoes has also increased.

The government is doing nothing, she said at a press conference and alleged that this money is going to hoarders.

Congress alleged that because of increased excise duty, the price of petroleum products is rising.

The duty on petrol is Rs 20 per litre and on diesel, it is Rs 15 per litre, she said.

Congress Secretary (Communication) Pranav Jha questioned the government on the proposed oil reservoirs. He said that there was a proposal to build four reservoirs across the country but there is no progress on that front.

The party alleged that unemployment is at a 45-year high.

The unemployment rate is 8 per cent, which means 8 crore people are out of jobs, Mukherjee said.

The auto sector is witnessing its worst phase with 300 auto dealerships shutting down. In the agriculture sector also 91 lakh people are jobless, the Congress spokesperson said.

She also raised the issue of law and order.

She said this year till August, 4,278 cases of snatching have been registered in Delhi alone.

In UP also, the law and order situation is bad. Many shooting incidents have taken place in the state, she said.