PM Modi must break his silence on rising fuel prices, falling rupee
New Delhi, Sep 7 : Congress on Friday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must break his silence on rising fuel prices and falling value of the rupee against the dollar and said "he owes an explanation to the country in this gloomy scenario".
"When value of the rupee was at Rs 60 to a dollar, the Prime Minister had said that the rupee was under hospitalisation and now when the exchange value of the rupee has reached Rs 72 per dollar, he is silent on the issue," said Congress spokesperson R.P.N Singh.
"There has been an unprecedented hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG, but the Prime Minister is silent as usual," said the Congress spokesperson.
"But, there is no tweet from the Prime Minister and no statement on these burning issues. Why is he maintaining complete silence? This government has failed to such an extent that they are unable to speak on the issues of larger public interest," he said.
Congress said the price of petrol in Delhi is Rs. 80 per liter, whereas in Bhiwandi it was being sold at Rs. 90 per litre. "The Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been saying that the UPA Government could not make payment to Iran and because of that the prices of petrol and diesel have gone up," said Singh.
"This is another ‘jumla' of this government. The fact is the US sanctions were there till 2016. This government came to power in 2014 and this government too could not make the payment to Iran till 2016 due to the US sanctions," he added.
The leader said the government should put the facts before the people.
"There was an outstanding amount of Rs 43,000 crore, whereas this government has looted Rs. 11 lakh crore in the form of taxes in the past 4.5 years of its rule."
"They effected 211 per cent increase in excise duty on petrol and 443 per cent increase in excise duty on diesel," he added.
Singh said that September 10 Bharat Bandh is not for the Congress party alone. "This is being supported by all people," he said.
He also said that gas cylinder in Delhi cost Rs 754 now, which was Rs 414 per cylinder during UPA government.
"This government has failed in protecting the economy, farmers' interest, and employment generation," said Singh.
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Thunderstorm hits Lucknow, IMD issues red alert across multiple UP districts
Lucknow: Shortly after the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert warning of severe weather conditions in the region, a sudden thunderstorm hit Lucknow and adjoining districts on Monday morning.
The Indian Express reported that the skies turned dark around 8:45 am as strong winds lashed parts of the city. Incidents of tree falls were reported from several locations, disrupting traffic and normal movement.
The weather department said thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and gusty winds of 40 to 60 kmph are likely to continue over the next three hours across several districts.
A red alert has been issued for districts including Unnao, Barabanki, Hardoi, Sitapur, Bahraich, Gonda, Shravasti and Lakhimpur Kheri, where moderate thunderstorms with hail and strong winds may damage trees, power lines and temporary structures.
An orange alert is in place for Rae Bareli, Amethi, Kanpur Nagar, Ayodhya, Kanpur Dehat, Auraiya, Kannauj, Farrukhabad, Shahjahanpur and Balrampur, where thunderstorms with lightning and winds up to 60 kmph could lead to localised disruptions.
Major parts of the state remains under yellow alert, including districts such as Prayagraj, Agra, Bareilly, Aligarh and Moradabad, where light rain, lightning and winds of 30 to 40 kmph are expected.
Authorities have advised residents to remain indoors, avoid open areas and trees during lightning, and secure loose objects.
