Assam: Jatiya Mahila Shakti protests price hike at Dighali Pukhuri in Guwahati

Jatiya Mahila Shakti, an affiliate of Assam Jatiya Parishad, echoed through the streets of Guwahati as a huge number of women convened for a sit-in by the banks of Dighalipukhuri. The women protested against the perceived governmental lapse in quelling the surge in prices. 

Breaking through police barricades the women shouted slogans against price rise by donning gas cylinders and adorning themselves with potato-onion garlands. 

A decade ago, the BJP vowed to usher in prosperity and affordability to households. However, present circumstances reveal government policies contributing to market turbulence, rendering essential commodities out of reach for many. 
The protest was spearheaded by President Alpana Sharma, Executive President Aparajita Das Bora, and General Secretary Moushumi Sharma Bezbaruah. Demonstrators brandished placards, and with empty gas cylinders and onion-potato garlands, symbolized the collective distress while demanding action.

Effigies were set alight as slogans reverberated, illustrating their steadfast confrontation of challenges. The protest saw images of BJP leader and former minister Bijoya Chakraborty rallying against a comparable price surge a decade ago.

Alpana Sharma, President of Jatiya Mahila Shakti, addressed the media, bemoaning the present situation where basic necessities elude many due to financial constraints. She likened the government's lack of action to an unspoken emergency, highlighting the Food and Civil Supplies Department's inefficacy as indicative of an unsettling collusion between the government and capitalist entities.Sharma spoke about the plight of women, those of households, who bear the brunt of this crisis. Rallying women to unite, she emphasized their potential as catalysts for change.