Opposition parties in UP attack Centre over fuel price hike
What's the story
The Opposition Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday attacked the BJP Government at the Centre over the rise in fuel prices, saying it was unfair to trouble people reeling from the impact of COVID-19. The parties demanded that the government immediately stop burdening the public with the increase in fuel prices.
Mayawati's tweet
Wrong to burden those already reeling from COVID-19: Mayawati
"It is totally wrong and unfair to trouble people who are already facing problems because of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment, and inflation, by continuously and unnecessarily increasing the prices of petrol, diesel, and LPG," BSP Supremo Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi. "The rationale of the government to raise funds for public welfare through this tax increase is not fair," she said.
Twitter Post
Here is what Mayawati tweeted
1. देश में पेट्रोल, डीजल व रसोई गैस जैसी जरूरी वस्तुओं की कीमतों में अनावश्यक ही अनवरत वृद्धि करके कोरोना प्रकोप, बेरोजगारी व महंगाई आदि से त्रस्त जनता को सताना सर्वथा गलत व अनुचित। इस जानलेवा कर वृद्धि के माध्यम से जनकल्याण के लिए धन जुटाए जाने का सरकार का तर्क कतई उचित नहीं।1/2
— Mayawati (@Mayawati) February 23, 2021
Government
Akhilesh Yadav also slammed BJP for the constant hike
"It is essential to immediately stop this burden on the public's pocket by constantly and arbitrarily increasing the tax on petrol, diesel, etc," she said, adding the government will do a huge favor on hardworking people and the middle class by checking the prices. Samajwadi Party Supremo Akhilesh Yadav also took to Twitter to criticize the BJP Government over the rise in fuel price.
Information
Yadav shared a cartoon to depict the dire situation
"Income is decreasing, there is cut in salaries, what will one eat and save?" Yadav tweeted. He tagged a cartoon showing a scooter with Vikas written on it and a petrol nozzle with a man's face showing his difficulty in coping with the price rise.
Twitter Post
Here is Yadav's tweet
आमदनी घट रही है, तनख़्वाह कट रही है.
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) February 23, 2021
खायें क्या, बचाएं क्या? pic.twitter.com/7qlWvU581W
Price
Hike was paused for two days after Saturday
Meanwhile, the price of petrol touched an all-time high of Rs. 97 per liter in Mumbai on Saturday, while the diesel rate crossed the Rs. 88-mark. This was the 12th straight day of the price hike and the largest daily increase since oil companies started to revise rates on a daily basis in 2017. Hikes were stopped for two days after Saturday.
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Petrol price surged past Rs. 100-mark in Rajasthan and MP
The increase pushed the petrol price to Rs. 90.58 a liter in Delhi and to Rs. 97 in Mumbai. Petrol price has already surged past the Rs. 100-mark in some places in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, which levy the highest VAT on the fuel.