On the eve of the declaration of assembly election results in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Sunday announced that the party will soon hit the streets to protest the rise in prices of essential items since 2014, sharpening its attack on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre.
JMM's Allegations
JMM central general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya stated, “From 2014 to 2026, be it food items, fertiliser, transportation costs or prices of every commodity, they have increased by two-and-a-half times from earlier. Prices of commercial LPG cylinders have gone up to over Rs 3,000, which was Rs 950 in 2014. The price rose by a staggering Rs 1,000 on Friday, making it extremely difficult for owners of small eateries and factories, who may be forced to shut down their businesses and lay off employees.”
Bhattacharya further claimed that according to information he has received, petrol prices will rise by Rs 10-12 per litre and diesel by Rs 15-17 per litre across the country after the election results are declared on Monday. “The fuel price hike will again impact the prices of essential food items that are transported across the country via roads. Despite the Union petroleum minister’s repeated assurances of having buffer fuel stocks, why are prices increasing? Private sector small-scale factories, including printing, brass metal and MSMEs, are not getting fuel to run their units,” he added.
Bhattacharya warned that Jharkhand may witness deaths due to starvation, as people are unable to purchase nutritious food items. He recalled that during the 2014 parliamentary election, the BJP coined the slogan ‘Bohot hua mehengai ka maar, abki bar Modi sarkar’ and formed a government at the Centre, making price hike an issue. “But they burdened people with exorbitant prices. Hence, in 2026, we need to change the slogan to ‘bahut mehengai ka maar, gaddi chhoro Modi sarkar’ and bid farewell to the government,” he said.
BJP's Response
Countering the allegations, state BJP spokesperson Pratul Sahdeo said the JMM is making baseless claims that petrol and diesel prices will increase further. “Due to the Prime Minister’s visionary and long-term policies, even after the Gulf crisis, there has been no change in the prices of petrol, diesel, and LPG for common consumers. During 10 years of the UPA government, diesel prices increased by 220% and petrol by 210%. In contrast, under 12 years of NDA, the prices rose by only 60% and 65%, respectively,” he said.
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