Petrol, diesel price hike and the Prime Minister’s lies
The hike in the price of petrol and diesel has triggered anxiety in the country. The middle class is ready to explode like a cylinder any time. Even as the price of petrol hit the century mark in Rajasthan on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time chose to open his lips and utter a few words. He said: “previous governments are responsible for the hike in prices. The previous governments did not pay any attention to reducing the dependency of India on imported fuel.”
This clarification from the Prime Minister has provoked the people. Modi made the statement forgetting that he had led the previous government. The Modi-led government took on the reins for the first time by pointing fingers at the hike in price in petrol and gas cylinders during the UPA regime.
But, after taking over office, the Modi government not only failed to regulate the petrol price but created a situation where even when the price of fuel in the international market has reduced, the cost of petrol in the country has skyrocketed. During the previous UPA government, even when the price of crude oil increased substantially, the prices in India had not increased to this extent.
What does reduction in the dependency on imported fuel mean? Have prices increased due to the excessive consumption of petrol? Maybe Modi issued such a clarification assuming people to be fools. The reason for the increase in fuel price is due to the interference of the government.
Otherwise, today people would have been the beneficiaries of the reduction in crude oil prices. Due to the Coronavirus and other global political developments, the price of crude oil came down by over Rs 50 in the international market since the first week of March 2020.
As a result, the price of petrol and diesel should have fallen by at least Rs 25 since the government had left it to the market to decide oil prices. Because of the policy that consumers must pay according to the rise or fall in prices of crude oil, the government initially saved itself from accusations of being responsible for price rise. In anticipation of benefiting from the reduction of crude oil price, the consumer tolerated price hikes every time.
Luckily for the consumer, in March 2020 due to the intensification of price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, the price of crude oil in international market fell by about 31 per cent. Such a fall was the highest since the 1991 Gulf war. India imports more than 84 per cent of crude oil. Previously, when the price of crude oil increased internationally, Indians, who invested heavily, could reap the benefits of fall in prices.
Ironically, the government backstabbed the people. The government that so far defended the price hike by stating that it had no role to play in fixing prices started levying a heavy excise duty the moment the price of crude oil fell in the international market. The benefit of the fall in prices that had to reach the consumers is now reaching the pockets of the government. The economy has completely collapsed due to the government’s wrong economic policies and a situation has been created where the common man has to pay for this. As the price of crude oil has been slowly increasing since May 2020, the price of petrol is also increasing every day.
When the country’s economy had collapsed, a nationwide lockdown was imposed to face the Coronavirus. When the lockdown has now been relaxed, people who were economically destroyed are now in the process of reconstructing their livelihood. This is when the continuous rise in the fuel price is hitting them hard.
A general increase in transport cost has followed the lifting of the lockdown and the hike in petrol prices is cited as a justification. When the transportation cost increases, the cost of commodities also increases. The price of all commodities other than that of farm produce has been slowly increasing. When demand falls, the price of commodities should reduce. But here everything has turned upside down.
When people have lost their ability to purchase commodities, the price of commodities has shot up. When a situation has been created where there are no people to travel in cities, the cost of transport has increased. The government is taking the people for a ride. Previously, when the price of crude oil increased in the international market, people purchased petrol without blaming the government.
Now, when the price of crude oil has decreased internationally, people should benefit from this. The government should therefore withdraw the additional excise tax on crude oil. Similarly, if previous governments are to be blamed for everything, why is Modi in power? And if Modi fails to bring the situation under control, the NDA must obtain the resignation of the Prime Minister and replace him with a person suitable for the position.
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LoP Ashoka targets CM govt over corruption, says being 'shameless' in public life not forgivable
Bengaluru (PTI): Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka on corruption, BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday said, being foolish was forgivable, but being "shameless" in public life was not.
The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly claimed that in just 30 months of its tenure, the Congress administration has broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies.
He was responding to Siddaramaiah's post on 'X' on Thursday hitting back at the BJP, stating that Upa Lokayukta Justice Veerappa's claims of "63 per cent corruption" were based on his report in November 2019, when BJP's B S Yediyurappa was the CM.
"But Ashoka, without understanding the Upa Lokayukta's statement properly, has ended up tying the BJP's own bells of sins onto our heads and has effectively shot himself in the foot," the CM had said, as he accused Ashoka of foolishness for trying to twist Veerappa's statement to target the current government.
Responding, Ashoka said, "it is one thing to be called foolish in politics, that can be forgiven."
"But in public life, especially in the Chief Minister's chair, one must never become shameless," Ashoka posted on 'X' on Friday addressing Siddaramaiah.
Noting that the CM himself had admitted on the floor of the Assembly that a Rs 87 crore scam took place in the Valmiki Development Corporation, he said that when a CM acknowledges such a massive irregularity inside the floor of the House, the natural expectation is immediate action and accountability.
"But instead of taking responsibility, you continue in office as if nothing has happened. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
Pointing out that the CM's Economic Advisor and senior Congress MLA Basavaraja Rayareddy had publicly stated that under Congress rule, Karnataka has become No.1 in corruption, Ashoka said, "Yet, you still cling to the Chief Minister's chair without a moment of introspection. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness."
Senior Congress MLA C R Patil had exposed the "money for House" racket in the Housing Department and even warned that the government would collapse if the details he has were made public, Ashoka said.
"Despite such serious allegations from within your own party (Congress), you neither initiated an inquiry nor acted against the concerned minister. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," Ashoka asked the CM.
Highlighting the "40 percent commission" allegation Congress made against the previous BJP government, the opposition leader said, the commission that the Siddaramaiah government appointed concluded that the accusation was baseless.
"After your own panel demolished your own claim, what moral right do you have to continue repeating that allegation. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
For the last two and a half years, Karnataka has been 'drowning' in corruption, scandals, irregularities and allegations across departments. Ashoka said, "If I begin listing every case that emerged under your government, even 24 hours would not be enough."
"And the most tragic aspect of your administration is this: the unbearable pressure, corruption demands and administrative harassment under your government pushed several officers and contractors into extreme distress - including the suicide of Chandrasekharan which exposed the Valmiki Development Corporation scam - a sign of how deeply broken the system has become under your watch," he said.
Instead of fixing this hopeless environment, the government has tried to bury every complaint and silence every voice, he charged.
"Being foolish is forgivable, but being shameless in public life is definitely not."
"When your own ministers admit scams, when your own advisors certify Karnataka as No.1 in corruption, and when your own MLAs expose rackets inside your departments - clinging to power without accountability is not leadership. It is shamelessness in its purest form." PTI KSU
Earlier on Thursday Ashoka had demanded that the corruption case and allegations in the state against the Congress government be handed over to a CBI investigation, citing a reported statement by Upalokaykta Justice Veerappa alleging "63 per cent corruption", following which Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP leader.
