Protests against price rise in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam, Feb 4 (ANI): Political parties including Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) have called for a state-wide protest against inflation in Visakhapatnam.

They took the protest to the streets with effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh outside the Collectorate office here.

"At the time of drought, we had controlled (price of) all the commodities. Now in UPA-II government, nobody is controlling (prices), there is no administration and the politicisation is going on. Because of these commodities the common people are not living as a normal person," said Bhandaru Satyanaranamurthy, president of TDP, Visakhapatnam.

Satyanaranamurthy further demanded immediate steps to curtail the spiralling prices.

The protesters also accused the UPA government for their inability to check corruption.

The protests are expected to go on till a week and the parties are expected to conclude with a demonstration in New Delhi on February 9.

Food makes up about 14 percent of the wholesale price index, while fuel contributes to about 15 percent.

Vegetable prices were up 3.84 percent week-on-week and have risen around 71 percent year-on-year. Onions were up nearly two percent on the week and 71 percent on an annual basis. (ANI)