The Opposition Congress on Saturday protested here against the Rafale deal and fuel price rise with a Raj Bhavan Gherao.

Hundreds of PCC members and leaders gathered at Latasil playground around 11am and around 11.30am they started marching towards Raj Bhavan in Uzan Bazar, a distance about 1,800 metres, raising slogans and carrying placards with messages such as “Modi hatao desh bachao” and “Garibo ka chowkidar ab amiro ka bhagidar” against the BJP-led government at the Centre for “not coming clean on the Rafale deal and checking price rise”.

All senior Congress leaders of the state, led by PCC president Ripun Bora, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Debabrata Saikia, AICC secretary Pradyut Bordoloi and CLP deputy leader Rakibul Hussain participated in the agitation, which lasted for over three hours.

AICC general secretary in charge for Assam Harish Rawat joined the protesters around 1.20pm directly coming from the airport.

“We are protesting at the block level to make people aware. Today, we protested at the state level,” Bora said while addressing the gathering. “Since Independence, all the defence-related equipment and technologies were being made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) but Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to reject one of the oldest contracts with HAL and gave the contract to his friend Anil Ambani’s company Reliance, which has no experience. During the Congress regime, the air force’s requirement was 126 Rafale planes. But now Modi didn’t even discuss the deal with the air force and signed an agreement for only 36 Rafale jets,” PCC general secretary Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee said. “The prices of petrol rose again on Saturday by 25 paise. We are demanding BJP hatao, desh bachao.”

Activists of the CPM also took out a procession, protesting against rising fuel prices and essential commodities here on Saturday.