Fuel prices were hiked by 80 paise a litre each on Saturday, the fourth rise in five days and the Congress party, announcing a nationwide protest on Thursday attacked the Center over the hike in petrol and diesel prices stating that the “shameless fleecing” of the public must stop.  Congress accused BJP govt. of earning ₹ 26 lakh crore in 8 years through fuel hikes.

Notably, Congress is to launch a nationwide ‘protest’ campaign on the fuel hikes and inflation in April.

Congress quipped sarcastically, “Fuel prices to cross Rs. 100 again? Given the rate they’ve been increasing, we won’t be surprised.  With Rs. 3.2/litre increase in less than a week, seems like the BJP govt is trying to push us back on bullock carts!

Congress party charged the BJP government with earning ₹ 26 lakh crore in eight years by increasing excise duty on petrol and diesel. The party has announced a “Mehngai Mukt Bharat Abhiyan”, a three-phase protest against rising fuel prices across the country between March 31 and April 7.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala at a news conference in Delhi announced, “On 31st March at 11 am, people will protest outside their homes and public places with garlanded gas cylinders and beat of drums-bells, other instruments to draw the attention of the deaf BJP government against the insurmountable increase in prices of gas, petrol, and diesel.”

The Congress party’s campaign emerged apparently as a mock imitation from the BJP campaign conducted during the nationwide COVID lockdown where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked people to clap and beat utensils to show gratitude to the health workers. People, locked in their homes for days because of the shutdown, stood in their balconies and porches, drumming utensils and gongs.

Criticizing the BJP government where Yogi Adityanath was just sworn-in in Uttar Pradesh, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “King prepares for a palace, while subjects reel under inflation.”

Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 80 paise a litre each on Saturday, the fourth increase in five days as oil firms passed on to consumers the spike in the cost of crude.

Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed said just this week, petrol and diesel prices have gone up by ₹ 3.20 a litre.

“Fuel prices were kept constant for 4 months before elections and now hiked four times in just a week. This shameless fleecing of the public must stop!” she tweeted.  Notably, this is the fourth increase in five days.

Fuel prices have been surging over the last few years. Read about it: https://hamslivenews.com/2021/10/16/fuel-prices-soar-up-again-to-highest-ever-levels-in-india/