Mangaluru: Alleging that the prices of essential commodities have increased due to excessive taxes imposed by the governments at the centre and the state, the JDS party members held a mass protests in front of Mini Vidhan Soudha on February 24.

The party submitted a memorandum to prime minister Modi and chief minister B S Yediyurappa through the district deputy commissioner in which they stated that out of the price of petrol being paid in Mangaluru, the union government skins more than Rs 33 as excise duty and the state government charges Rs 23 per litre.

The memorandum stated: “Even though the base price of petrol is only Rs 29.98 and the base price of diesel is Rs 31, the customers are made to pay up to Rs 100. Five non-BJP states in the country have reduced their part of taxes on fuel. But our government at the centre and the Karnataka state are sitting with closed eyes.”

It also talked spoke about the farm laws in the country as being made due to pressure from rich multinational companies and richest companies in the country making farmers stand on the streets. “There is no response from the government to the protests being held by farmers for months. The people who support the protests by the farmers are named traitors and police cases are being registered against them. Government-owned organizations are being handed over to private parties. People have come to know that the only programme of the government is to support and nurture Adanis and Ambanis,” the memorandum explains.

Through this memorandum, the Janata Dal and organizations that oppose the anti-people policies of the government pleaded with the government to stop playing with the lives of ordinary people and middle-class people. “Reduce the chain of taxes and release the ordinary people from the bondage of taxes. Allow them to live,” it stated.