The fuel prices touching the sky has been into talks recently. While the opposition party Congress threatened to instigate a nationwide stir if the prices are not brought down, Shiv Sena also held the government responsible for the high prices.
Shiv Sena attacking the Central government led by BJP said that despite a decrease in the global crude oil price, the prices are deliberately kept high in India, so that the government can accumulate the money to pay back the loan it has taken from Japan for the bullet train Project.
Shiv Sena who is both a part of the ruling NDA at the Centre and an ally at Maharashtra accused the government to be responsible for the increasing number of suicides of the farmers. The party said that high fuel prices were the main reason for the suicide of the farmers across the nation.
The party mouthpiece Saamana on Wednesday read “those in the government are not ready to speak on inflation and do not want others to talk as well. The common man is bearing the brunt of fuel prices going through the roof. If people in government support the 20 times hike in fuel prices in the last four months, it is not correct.”
A few days back the party had also indicated that it might break the alliance with BJP saying that they do not want to be blamed for the policies thrust by the government ruining the lives of the poor and middle class people. It also strongly opposed the comment made by Union minister Alphons calling it an insult to the poor and middle class.
The party’s mouthpiece also pointed out that the same ruling NDA had created a havoc in the Parliament against the then ruling UPA government on the issue of high fuel prices. Whereas during the UPA rule even when the crude oil prices were 130 dollars a barrel, the petrol and diesel prices never rose above Rs 70 and Rs 53 per litre respectively.
Underlining the current situations Saamana provided the data that at present the crude oil prices are at 49.89 dollars a barrel and under the NDA rule the petrol and diesel rates have reached up to Rs 80 and diesel at Rs 63 per litre respectively. The Shiv Sena alleged that the NDA government is looting the public to fill its treasure chests.
Further attacking the government the party also spoke about the recent bullet train project inaugurated by Narendra Modi and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. Shiv Sena questioned that “Are these high prices of fuel being imposed on the people to recover the interest amount?” It also pointed out that the prices of LPG have gone up by 15 times in just past year.
During the rule of the Congress, the maximum price quoted for the cooking gas was up to Rs 320 per cylinder, whereas now under NDA it costs Rs 785 per cylinder, more than double the price. It further added that Modi is dreaming of giving bullet trains to India while the pockets of the poor and middle class are not even allowing them to buy 2 litres of petrol.
“On the one hand, it said, the rich would get a bullet train; on the other, the common man would have to travel by bullock carts as they would not be able to afford vehicles anymore,” the mouthpiece read.