Next Central govt cannot be formed without AAP's support: Punjab CM Mann
Chandigarh, Apr 28: The next government at the Centre cannot be formed without AAP's support, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Sunday.
He claimed the INDIA bloc would win 120-125 of the 190 seats that went to the polls in the first two phases of the Lok Sabha elections, and expressed confidence that the opposition alliance will assume power at the Centre after the polls.
Mann also announced that on April 30, he will meet AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar jail, where he is lodged in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.
"AAP will be a partner in the (next) government. The next government cannot be formed without AAP's support," the Punjab CM said.
The Kejriwal-led party is a constituent of the opposition INDIA bloc. However, it is contesting the Lok Sabha polls independently in Punjab.
Addressing a gathering in Barnala in support of AAP's Sangrur candidate Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Mann said the constituency is and will always be AAP's "capital (stronghold)".
He claimed that AAP chief Kejriwal deeply cares about Sangrur and always asks about it.
"Last time I went to meet him in jail, he first asked about Sangrur. I told him the next time I come to meet him, I would tell him the ground reality. Today, seeing the enthusiasm of the people here, it is clear that we are winning Sangrur by a huge margin," Mann said.
Attacking his rival parties, Mann said the Shiromani Akali Dal, BJP and the Congress are not able to find candidates for Punjab's 13 Lok Sabha seats.
"Their leaders are refusing to contest the elections because they know defeat is certain. Their plight is the result of their misdeeds," he said.
Listing the achievements of his two-year-old dispensation, Mann said, "We have made electricity free for 90 per cent of households. We have already closed 14 toll plazas, bringing financial relief to people. The previous government used to extend the period of toll plazas by taking money."
He also claimed that the state government arranged for 11 hours of uninterrupted electricity every day for the farming community.
"We also supplied canal water to about 60 per cent of Punjab's area to save electricity and groundwater. By October, this figure will increase to 70 per cent," he said.
Meanwhile, Mann also took out a road show in Ludhiana in favour of party candidate Ashok Parashar Pappi on Sunday evening.
Addressing the gathering, he said Ludhiana is the "heart" of Punjab and "winning from here means winning Punjab's heart".
Calling Ludhiana his 'karambhoomi', the CM said he started his career as a comedian from here in 1991.
Mann said he has been getting a very good response from all the places he's been visiting for campaign, and asked the people of Ludhiana to press the button of 'broom' (party symbol) on June 1 to ensure victory of his party's nominees.
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AI, IndiGo, SpiceJet seek ATF price relief; say airline industry on verge of 'stopping operations'
Mumbai (PTI): Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet have told the government that the country's airline industry is under extreme stress and on the verge of "stopping operations", as they sought revision in ATF pricing and financial support.
The West Asia turmoil has pushed up oil prices, and airspace restrictions have increased airlines' operating costs, especially on long-haul routes. Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) accounts for around 40 per cent of a carrier's operational expenses.
Against this backdrop, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has written to the civil aviation ministry, seeking steps to extend the same fuel pricing mechanism uniformly across both domestic and international operations as was done in the past with the establishment of the crack band.
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With an unprecedented rise in jet fuel prices and exorbitant crack/differential between crude and ATF, the federation said the operation of airlines is being challenged in totality.
"... any ad hoc pricing (domestic vs international) and/or irrational increase in the price of ATF will result in unsurmountable losses for airlines and will lead to grounding of aircraft, resulting in cancellation of flights," the federation, which represents Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet, said.
"In order to survive, sustain and continue operation, we request your urgent intervention for immediate and meaningful financial support to tide over the current situation," it said in a letter on April 26.
Also, the airlines have sought temporary deferment of excise duty on ATF, which is at 11 per cent.
"With the abnormal increase in ATF prices from the pre-crisis period, adding rupee depreciation to the increased prices, the 11 per cent excise duty also increases manifold for the airlines and adds to the ATF price as a big impact on airlines," they said.
Last month, the government limited the hike in ATF price to Rs 15 per litre for domestic operations, but for international operations, the price rose by Rs 73 per litre.
The airlines said the situation has practically made international operations, along with domestic operations, completely unviable and resulted in significant losses for the aviation sector in April.
Seeking urgent intervention on the current ATF ad hoc pricing, FIA said the current situation is creating a severe imbalance in domestic and international operations and rendering airline networks unviable and unsustainable.
"The airline industry in India is under extreme stress and is on the verge of closing down or of stopping its operations."
The federation has pitched for a transparent pricing framework under the crack band mechanism (USD 12–22/BBL) that was implemented in October 2022, saying there was a fair and reasonable margin for Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
According to FIA, the country's largest aviation hub Delhi has the second-highest value-added tax (VAT) of 25 per cent on jet fuel, while the highest rate is 29 per cent levied in Tamil Nadu.
"The other major aviation cities, viz. Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata range between 16 per cent and 20 per cent. These 6 cities cover more than 50 per cent of airlines' operations within India," the federation said.
