Jagan to hold protest over price rise in Vizag on Jan 22

Visakhapatnam, Jan 18 (PTI) Hitting out at the Congressgovernments at the Centre and in Andhra Pradesh over pricerise, former Congress MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy today said hewould hold a protest in Visakhapatnam on January 22.

"The decision of petro price hike came on a day offestival (Sankranti in Andhra Pradesh). The prices of allessential commodities are already high. The middle class andpoor people would be the worst affected by the hike in theprices of petrol. We will organise a protest on January 22 inVisakhapatnam to slam the Centre and state government overthese issues," he said.

He appealed to the people to participate in the protestin large numbers.

Jagan was addressing a gathering at Payakaraopet inVisakhapatnam district where he resumed his ''odarpu yatra''today.

Jagan had kicked off his yatra in Visakhapatnam districton January 3 and took a break from January 9 to undertake aone-day fast in Delhi on January 11 to highlight theimplication of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal on thestate farmers.

Jagan will conduct the yatra (tour for consoling thefamilies of those who died following the death of his father YS Rajasekhara Reddy) in Visakhapatnam district till January 22from today.

His fast in Delhi created a sensation as about 25 MLAsof the ruling Congress joined him. The former MP maintainedthat he was doing a favour to Congress by asking the MLAsloyal to him not to quit Congress for now.

Jagan, who is expected to launch his political partysoon in his native Kadapa district, has so far covered WestGodavari, Khammam, East Godavari, Srikakulam, Prakasam andNellore districts as part of his yatra.