Comrade Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, SUCI(C), issued the following statement on 17 March, 2015 :-
The BJP Finance Minister while presenting union budget 2015 gave indication that tax increases can take place outside the budget as well. We have also been repeatedly pointing out over the last three four years that the government has made it a practice to raise tariff or impose additional tax through issue of administrative fiat and bypassing the parliament. And in keeping with that, the BJP government has dealt the first blow on the people by doubling railway platform ticket rate from Rs 5 to Rs 10 to be effective from 1st April, 2015. Not only that, the Divisional Railway Managers have been empowered to increase the rate of platform ticket beyond Rs 10 to regulate rush at platform during specific requirements like mela (fair) and rally. We strongly oppose this most atrocious decision to thrust hefty burden on common people who often come to railway stations for receiving or seeing off their relatives or friends.
We call upon the people to build up powerful resistance movement by organizing massive demonstrations, blockades and gheraos in front of the railway offices and force the government under pressure of movement to withdraw the hike.
