PETRO PRICE: SONIA WRITES TO PM
NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi took on the PM Narendra Modi-led government over the fuel price hike issue on Sunday, as the chorus against costlier petrol and diesel grew across the country.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi took on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over the fuel price hike issue on Sunday, as the chorus against costlier petrol and diesel grew across the country. In a sharply worded letter, Gandhi expressed her “anguish & deep distress regarding the spiralling fuel & gas prices”.
“On one hand, India is witnessing systematic erosion of jobs, wages and household income. The middle class and those at the margins of our society are struggling. These challenges have been compounded by run-away inflation and an unprecedented rise in prices of almost all household items and essential commodities,” Gandhi said in a letter to the PM.
For over 10 days, the prices of petrol and diesel have been increasing. In Mumbai, petrol is at an all-time high of ₹97 a litre, while diesel crossed the ₹88 mark. This is the second time
Gandhi has launched a salvo against the government regarding the steep spike in fuel prices. On January 7, she slammed the government for trying to offset the losses incurred by it during the Covid-19 crisis. “Today, the crude oil price is $50.96 per barrel. That is barely Rs 23.43 per litre. Still, diesel is priced at Rs 74.38, while petrol costs Rs 84.30,” Gandhi had said. “In the last 73 years, fuel has never been more expensive.”
Again on Sunday, Gandhi attacked the government for “profiteering off of people’s misery & suffering” by raising the price of fuel despite crude oil prices being lower than those during the UPA regime.