Congress, NCP slam government over fuel price rise

Opposition Congress and NCP on Thursday hit out at the Centre and Maharashtra government over the fuel price hike and questioned the silence of those who had attacked the previous UPA-led dispensation over the issue.

Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil said the fuel price hike is breaking every past record.

"The promise of 'achhe din' was a jumla (rhetoric). Once upon a time, these BJP leaders used to give extempore speeches against petrol price rise, but now they can't even give a simple clarification," he said.

Accusing the BJP at the Centre and state of filling its own coffers by levying taxes on petrol and diesel, Patil said, "The costliest fuel in the world is sold in India...And the costliest in the country is sold in Maharashtra."

The former state finance minister said if the government decreases VAT on petrol/diesel, there will be some relief. "The Centre should reduce excise duty on petrol/ diesel," he said.

Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam led a protest against fuel price hike at Kalina in suburban Mumbai. The Western Express Highway witnessed traffic jams during the peak hours as a result.

"Those who questioned us frequently are quiet...Where are their sensitivities now. Why are they not challenging the government now?," he asked.

Highlighting old tweets of celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Akshay Kumar, former Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, among others, in which they had criticised the fuel hike in 2012, Nirupam sought to know on Twitter why they were not speaking over the issue now.

The Congress protest, which started at Kalina, ended at the Collector's office in Bandra.

Nirupam said the Congress is openly questioning them, just like many on the social media, regarding their silence over the current fuel price, which have hit an all-time high.

"This clearly shows that the 'suit-boot ki sarkaar' is only interested in looting the people of India. They have no interest in making the lives of the common people any easier," he said.

"This is not just affecting the commuters' lives, but also every household with all vegetable prices having shot up by 25 per cent. As recently as yesterday, the prices of petrol were almost Rs 85 per litre and that of diesel Rs 72.76 per litre in Mumbai. This amounts to nothing but murdering the common people- one day at a time," he said.