Congress calls for Bharat bandh on Sept 10 against fuel price hike
New Delhi, Sep 6: Calling the steep rise in diesel and petrol prices as 'fuel loot,' the Congress on Thursday called for a 'Bharat bandh' on September 10, saying it was in touch with other parties for their support.
The party again demanded that petrol and diesel be brought under Goods and Services Tax (GST). The government had earlier rejected the demand saying most states were opposed to it.
"Many promises were made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi before coming to power in 2014, but none were kept. When questions were raised by Congress President Rahul Gandhi about the Rafale fighter deal and Amit Shah's son, those too went unanswered," Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said at a press conference in the Capital.
"The mismanagement of economy has led to high prices. When fuel prices were rising during the UPA regime, taxes were reduced to take the burden off the people. But due to the mismanagement by the current government, the prices of petrol, diesel and gas cylinders have gone up steeply," he said.
"We decided for the Bharat Bandh call today after a meeting of all party general secretaries and the state leaders," he said, adding the party was in touch with other opposition parties for their support.
He said Congress workers would protest at petrol stations across the nation between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Later his party colleague Randeep Singh Surjewala said the "fuel loot" has resulted in the Modi government profiting Rs 11 lakh crore.
In May 2014, he said, excise duty on petrol was Rs 9 per litre while today it is Rs 19 per litre. "Similarly the excise duty on diesel in 2014 was Rs 3 and today it is around Rs 15 today.
"An RTI reply has revealed that the Modi government is selling diesel for Rs 34 per litre and petrol for Rs 37 per litre to other countries whereas in India the price is high," he alleged.
Calling it "fuel loot," the Congress leader said the diesel and petrol should have been brought under the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
"Rahul Gandhi had demanded to bring petrol and diesel under GST as this alone will give a relief to common people by Rs 10-15 per litre," he said.
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Gangolli Police arrest couple in house robbery case within seven hours
Gangolli: In an operation, the Gangolli police arrested a couple accused of a house robbery within seven hours of the incident.
The accused, identified as Vinayak (41) and his wife Pramila (30) from Gujjadi, were taken into custody following a coordinated investigation by the police team.
The robbery took place on the morning of January 21 when a bag containing jewelry was stolen from a house near Trasi Beach. Among the stolen items were a 16-gram gold necklace, a 16-gram bangle, and three gold rings weighing 3 grams, with the total value of the jewelry estimated at Rs 2 lakh. The culprits fled the scene on a scooty.
Following the registration of the case at the Gangolli police station, SSI Harish R. and a team comprising officers Shantaram, Raju, Nagaraj, Raghavendra, Sandeep Kurani, Maruti Nayak, and Dinesh swiftly gathered intelligence and tracked down the suspects by 8 p.m. on the same day. The stolen gold ornaments and the vehicle used in the crime have been recovered.
The accused were presented before the court, and further legal proceedings are underway.
