Petrol crosses Rs 100/litre mark in Leh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
New Delhi, Jun 4: After Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, petrol price has crossed the Rs 100-per-litre mark in Leh, in almost all districts of Andhra Pradesh and parts of Telangana after fuel prices were again hiked on Friday.
Petrol price was increased by 27 paise per litre and diesel by 28 paise a litre, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.
The hike - 18th in the last one month - took fuel prices across the country to a historic high.
In Delhi, petrol hit an all-time high of Rs 94.76 a litre, while diesel is now priced at Rs 85.66 per litre.
Fuel prices differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local taxes such as VAT and freight charges.
Petrol price is well above the Rs 100-per-litre mark in all districts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra - the states which levy the highest value-added tax (VAT) in the country.
Retail prices have risen after an increase in international oil prices on investors' optimism that improving demand and a dwindling supply glut may mean the market can absorb any additional production from OPEC and its allies.
Brent crude - the global oil-price benchmark, has risen above USD 71 per barrel for the first time in two years.
Following the relentless price increase, fuel rates in places like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Leh have witnessed unprecedented levels.
Petrol is sold at over Rs 100 per litre in almost all districts of Andhra Pradesh, except Vizag where it costs 99.75 a litre. Diesel in Vizag is priced at Rs 94.08 per litre.
In Telangana, petrol prices crossed the psychological level in Adilabad (Rs 100.57) and Nizamabad (Rs 100.17).
Petrol costs Rs 100.43 a litre in Leh.
Rajasthan levies the highest VAT on petrol and diesel in the country, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Mumbai on May 29, became the first metro in the country where petrol was being sold at over Rs 100-a-litre mark. Petrol now costs Rs 100.98 per litre in the city and diesel comes for Rs 92.99.
At Bellary, in Karnataka petrol is being sold at Rs 99.83 per litre. In Bengaluru, petrol is priced at Rs 97.98 per litre and diesel at Rs 90.87.
The increase on Friday is the 18th increase in prices since May 4, when state-owned oil firms ended an 18-day hiatus in rate revision they observed during assembly elections in states like West Bengal.
In 18 increases, petrol price has risen by Rs 4.36 per litre and diesel by Rs 4.93 a litre.
Rates are at the highest in the country in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan where petrol comes for Rs 105.81 a litre and diesel for Rs 98.64 per litre. Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district has petrol priced at Rs 105.18 a litre and diesel at Rs 96.31.
Oil companies revise rates of petrol and diesel daily based on the average price of benchmark fuel in the international market in the preceding 15-days, and foreign exchange rates.
Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies, a group known as OPEC+, earlier this week agreed to continue relaxing curbs on oil production, signalling their confidence in improving oil demand and a drop in the global supply glut.
The rollout of vaccines is helping governments to reduce coronavirus restrictions and resume more normal economic activity. That will help pare global oil stocks - which at one point last year threatened to overwhelm the world's ability to store them.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
