Published 12:01 IST, February 22nd 2021
Amid high petrol & diesel prices, Robert Vadra rides cycle & Rahul Gandhi alleges 'loot'
Rahul Gandhi on Monday termed the fuel price hike as 'loot by BJP'. Meanwhile, Robert Vadra was seen riding a bicycle to his office from Delhi's Khan market
Due to the continuous increase in the prices of petrol and diesel, there has been an increasing resentment among the people especially given that the price for a litre of petrol in some states has crossed the Rs 100 barrier. In the latest development, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government and said that the price of crude oil has not increased but has instead decreased. Taking to Twitter, the Congress leader wrote, "The Modi government is doing a great job of freeing your pockets and giving it to friends".
Robert Vadra rides bicycle to protest fuel price hike
In order to protest against the continuous surge in the price of crude oil, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's husband Robert Vadra on Monday was seen riding a bicycle from Khan Market to his office. Hitting out at the Centre, he said that the Prime Minister must come out from A/C cars and see how people are suffering. "All he does is blame others (previous governments) for everything and move on." Robert Vadra added.
Joining this initiative by Robert Vadra, Bhopal Congress leaders PC Sharma, Jitu Patwari and Kunal Chaudhary were also spotted riding a bicycle to Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
Haryana CM on fuel price hike
As fuel prices are breaking all records by breaching unprecedented barriers in various state of the country, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said that the increase is "not too much" overall. The Chief Minister said that the fuel prices increased by around 10 per cent to 15 per cent in the last 4 to 5 years and the government is keeping an eye on it. Speaking further, Manohar Lal Khattar said that the revenue that is being collected by the government currently will reach people eventually.
Haryana Chief Minister said, "Whatever revenue is collected by the government, it is used for people. The value-added tax (VAT) in Haryana is comparatively lower than other states."
A VAT is a type of indirect tax levied on a product whenever a value is added at each stage of the supply chain, from production to the point of sale. Rates differ from state to state depending on VAT.
PM Modi on fuel price hike
While addressing an online event to inaugurate oil and gas projects in poll-bound Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the middle-class would not have been burdened if the previous governments had focussed energy import dependence of the country. PM also informed that India imported over 85% of its oil needs in the 2019-20 financial year and nearly 53% of its gas requirement. PM said, "Can we be so import-dependent? I don't want to criticize anyone but I want to say (that) had we focussed on this subject earlier, our middle-class would not have been burdened."
READ | Why Are People Made To Pay So Much For Petrol When Global Crude Oil Prices Are Low, Asks Cong
Updated 12:01 IST, February 22nd 2021