Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Mar, 05
Congress leaders as a part of nationwide protests against hike in petroleum products of party on Friday continued protest at Chann Khatterian. The protest was led by former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla and former MLC Thakur Balbir Singh .The event was organized by former MoS GL Chalotra & Ex MLA Hiranagar. Prominent among those present on the occasion include Councilor Ramesh Verma ,Sarpanchs Vinay Sharma, Vishal Khajuria , Pankaj Dogra , Joginder Singh beside others.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla criticized the government over the fuel price hike. He said BJP government has embarked upon merciless destruction of people’s livelihood which have already been severely assaulted both by the pandemic and the unplanned, unilaterally announced and totally mismanaged policies and programmes in J&K.He accused the government of deliberately increasing petrol and diesel price every day. He demanded that the central government to sharply reduce its excise duties, on petroleum products, which are amongst the highest in the world today, and provide relief to the people. Former Minister said the Modi government has completely failed in keeping its promises to the people of India. The need of the hour is for different parties to set aside their differences and come together. “Time has come to change this government,” he said.He said it is necessary to make the government understand that they have completely failed to serve the nation. Congress leader said that on one hand government was increasing taxes as well as prices of petroleum products and gas that made life of the low income group miserable. He said that unemployment was increasing but government failed to devise an effective economic plan for solution of the core issues.
Former Minister claimed that from bullock cart and rallies to Congress leaders riding bicycles and promoting social media hastags, the Congress organizing protests across India against the fuel price hikes in the last three months, saying it was hurting the poor and the middle-class adversely. The government has claimed that the fuel prices have risen because of increase in international crude prices but he said that the Centre has artificially kept the prices high by not lowering the special excise duty imposed when the international crude prices fell last year.The country’s GDP has hit the bottom. It is the lowest in 7 years and unemployment is on the rise. Still, fuel prices have been increased,” said Bhalla.The Central government must control petrol and diesel prices. On one hand people are already distressed with Covid-19 and now this further price rise is staring in peoples’ face. We condemn the petrol price hike and seek its roll back. We will not allow it to happen. He said the hike in petrol price could have been avoided by reducing the profit of the government as well as private run oil companies, reducing the tax on petrol and checking the falling rupee value.There was no doubt that the hike would dent the middle class people’s purchasing power further and plummet their economic status, he said.Former Minister said that hike would unleash fresh inflationary trends, jack up prices of all essential commodities and break the back of the common man. It is a cruel blow on people who are already suffering from severe price rise. Former Minister said that the frequent increase in prices of petroleum products was beyond imagination. He said government failed to fulfill its tall claims as it did not provide any relief to the poverty-stricken people. It is sheer injustice rather shameful,” said Bhalla. He added that rulers were imposing new taxes on people and increasing prices of daily use items to meet their own expenditures.He said that consumers were paying two types of taxes that included petroleum levy and general sales tax. “The government should take back the decision of increase in petrol and diesel prices. The ‘tsunami of inflation’ has made life extremely difficult for all sections of society. This time it has dropped a petrol bomb on people. This is going to cause a new wave of inflation in the country,” he said.Bhalla also criticized government, saying it had no capacity to control price hike and joblessness.” The government should withdraw increase in fuel prices and announce relief package for the jobless youth,” he said. Bhalla said when the Congress-led UPA was in power, relief was given to people even though international crude oil prices were soaring while the Modi government has been raising petrol and diesel prices, burdening the common people and the farmers already facing hardships due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Former Minister hit out at the Centre over a massive hike in the prices of LPG gas cylinder, calling it “uncalled for” and demanded its immediate rollback.He said, Modi government has today electrocuted the budget of a common man. It has attacked the budget of India’s women. They have increased the price of non-subsidized gas cylinder by Rs 144.””I want to remind the Prime Minister that when Congress demitted power in 2014 the price of each LPG cylinder was Rs 414 only. This is an increase of 110 per cent in the price of gas cylinder in five-and-a-half years. If a family uses 12 cylinders, then there will be an additional cost of Rs 5,334 per family in a year,” he said.
