Rahul challenges Modi to cut fuel prices
New Delhi, May 24: Taking a cue from the fitness challenge gone viral on Twitter, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring down petrol and diesel prices or face country-wide agitation.
"Dear PM, Glad to see you accept the @imVkohli fitness challenge. Here's one from me: Reduce fuel prices or the Congress will do a nationwide agitation and force you to do so.
"I look forward to your response," Gandhi tweeted with the hashtag #FuelChallenge, a fitness campaign where people post their exercise regime on social media and challenge others to do the same.
Petrol prices in Mumbai breached the Rs 85 a litre mark on Thursday and was sold at Rs 85.29 per litre. The price of the fuel is already at an all-time high in Mumbai along with Delhi and Chennai and is now creating new benchmarks daily.
Diesel prices too have reached unprecedented levels and set new records across the country. In Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, it was sold at Rs 68.53, Rs 71.08, Rs 72.96 and Rs 72.35 per litre respectively.
Dear PM,
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 24, 2018
Glad to see you accept the @imVkohli fitness challenge. Here’s one from me:
Reduce Fuel prices or the Congress will do a nationwide agitation and force you to do so.
I look forward to your response.#FuelChallenge
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Karnataka govt warns of action against LPG hoarding, blackmarketing amid supply concerns
Tumakuru (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday said the police have been instructed to take legal action against those involved in hoarding and black marketing of LPG cylinders.
Amid supply constraints caused by the West Asia conflict, he expressed hope that the supplies would be restored at the earliest.
"If anyone tries to hoard or black market gas cylinders, legal action will be taken against them. Police have been given instructions in this regard across the state...We will not allow it," Parameshwara told reporters here.
Quoting officials, he said there are no issues with supply of domestic gas cylinders as of now. Though, there are supply issues concerning commercial gas cylinders.
"Hotels may face problems for a couple of days, efforts are underway to resolve the issue," he added.
He expressed hope that gas and oil supplies from Gulf countries would improve soon, citing reports that a couple of Indian vessels had passed through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran granted India some exemptions.
Responding to a question, the Minister said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has convened a special cabinet meeting on March 27 to discuss internal reservation in recruitments. "We expect the issue to be resolved that day."
"After the cabinet decision, the government will issue an order, following which the recruitment process will start. The government said it will hold recruitment for over 56,000 posts, everything is ready for the process. In my own department (Home department) 8,000 vacancies will be filled. We will immediately adopt (the reservation related decision) and start the recruitment process," he added.
Reports have emerged about rifts between SC (Right) and SC (Left) factions within the ruling Congress regarding internal reservation during the recruitment announced for 56,432 vacant jobs.
The state government had recently decided to conduct recruitment for 56,432 vacant jobs based on the reservation order in force before December 28, 2022 (15 per cent for SCs and 3 per cent for STs), due to the stay on the enhanced quota and internal reservation, while continuing to pursue its case in court.
The previous BJP government had increased the reservation quota for SCs from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and for Scheduled Tribes from 3 per cent to 7 per cent, raising the state’s total reservation to 56 per cent, exceeding the Supreme Court-mandated 50 per cent ceiling.
While the matter is still in court, the Congress government decided to provide internal reservation by slicing up the 17 per cent reservation matrix given to 101 scheduled castes, under three groups, with a formula of 6, 6, and 5 per cent respectively.
According to sources, the SC (Left)/Madiga community, which has fought for internal reservation for decades, opposes recruiting for 56,432 jobs without providing internal reservation. The SC (Right)/Holeya community, however, favoured recruitment without providing internal reservation.
