New Delhi: Demanding transparency in the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) system and stronger protection of consumer interests, workers of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat from across the country staged a massive protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 12. Around 1,000 participants, including consumer rights activists, representatives of social organizations, and office-bearers of the organization from various states, took part in the demonstration.
During the protest, speakers expressed concern over the anomalies prevailing in the current MRP system and urged the government to formulate effective policies and legal provisions in the interest of consumers. They also called for a nationwide awareness campaign to educate citizens about their consumer rights.
Addressing the gathering, Narayanbhai Shah, National President of Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat, said that the primary objective of the MRP system was to protect consumers from arbitrary pricing. However, the present system has raised several concerns that need urgent attention. He emphasized that every consumer has the right to know the actual cost of a product and the amount of profit added to it. He urged the government to take concrete steps to establish a transparent pricing mechanism.
National Secretary Jayant Kathiriya stated that a delegation of the organization had recently submitted a memorandum to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and several other ministers, demanding greater transparency in the MRP system. However, no significant action has been taken so far.
He remarked, “Today, there is no transparency in the MRP system, and therefore consumer interests cannot be adequately protected. Consumers continue to feel cheated while manufacturers and traders exploit the MRP mechanism for excessive profit. It is time for the government to act decisively in favor of consumers.”
Kathiriya further said that the Jantar Mantar protest was not merely a demonstration but the beginning of a nationwide movement to safeguard consumer rights. He called upon workers across the country to launch awareness campaigns and educate citizens about the realities of the MRP system.
Delhi State President Ishwar Chand emphasised that consumer rights cannot be protected without consumer awareness. He stated that every worker of the organization would now reach out to citizens in villages and cities alike to explain the realities of the MRP system and transform the issue into a nationwide public movement. He added that obtaining information regarding product quality, pricing, and cost determination is a fundamental right of every consumer, and the government must formulate a clear and effective policy in this regard.
The protest was attended by several national and state office-bearers, including National Co-Secretary Vivekanand, Sunil Jain, Mukesh Tyagi, Shailendra Dubey, Delhi State Secretary Bunty Chaurasia, Vice President Brijmohan Garg, Nirmal Lavania, Anuj Chaudhary, Mukesh Mishra, National Treasurer Pradeep Bansal, Regional Organization Minister Naveen Jain, Former State President Rajbir Solanki, Bijendra Sharma, Mohanjeet Kaur, Kapil Moga, Asha Shukla, Anil Agrawal, Sangeeta Sharma, Mukesh Jain, Dharmesh Gaur, and many other office-bearers and activists from across the country.
Concluding the protest, the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat reiterated that if the government fails to take prompt and concrete steps to ensure transparency in the MRP system and protect consumer interests, the organization will intensify its nationwide awareness campaign and movement. The struggle for consumer rights, fair pricing, and accountability in the marketplace, it said, will continue until meaningful reforms are achieved.
