Chandigarh, March 21, 2020 (Yes Punjab News)
President Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee (PPCC) Sunil Jakhar has accused the Modi government of looting people with expensive fuel prices amid the coronavirus outbreak and market slowdown caused by poor economic policies of the government.
He said that the international crude prices have witnessed the record low but the central government is selling fuel at the highest price.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Congress President said that our economy is going through a crucial phase when GDP is at the lowest rate, employment opportunities are shrinking, gross income is on nose-dive and even banks have reached on the state of closure. He further added that the emerging situation due to the coronavirus outbreak has deepened the economic crisis.
Mr Jakhar said that usually the government is expected to come forward and take charge of the situation to bring people out of the crisis but it is unfortunate to say that the central government is adamant to devastate the economic structure of the country through price hike of petroleum products and inflation.
The PPCC President said that presently, the price of crude oil in the international market is 20 dollar Per barrel whereas the crude price in June 2004 was 35.54 Dollar per barrel and the then Congress government under the leadership of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was selling diesel at Rs. 22.74 per litre and Petrol Rs. 35.71 per litre adding he said that now crude oil is incredibly down than that of 2004 but the prices of petrol and diesel in the market are well known to everyone.
PPCC President further added that during the tenure of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2012, the price of crude oil was 104.09 dollar per barrel but the Manmohan government was providing diesel at Rs. 40.91 per litre and petrol at Rs.73.18 per litre and contrary to that the current Modi government is selling these two essential commodities at the highest price especially when crude prices have cut down by one-fourth than that of 2012.
He said that now the citizens of the country have figured out this simple calculation but the government of India is keeping mum on this crucial issue. Rather, the government has increased the excise duty of fuel in correspondent to the falling price of crude oil.
He said that the present central government has been blocking the benefit of a decrease in the price of crude oil but it has increased the tax rate especially amid the coronavirus outbreak which is an imminent threat to our economy.
Mr Jakhar demanded that keeping in view the present circumstances, the central government must take measures to control the prices of petroleum products and give relief to the citizens.
