Congress demands rollback of fuel price hike

SHILLONG: The AICC general secretary in-charge Meghalaya, Luizinho Faleiro, and top leaders of the state Congress on Sunday asked the Centre to roll back the fuel price hike, a day ahead of the Bharat Bandh.
Though the High Court had banned holding bandh in Meghalaya during the tenure of the Congress-led government, the party’s state leadership said they are only joining in the nationwide peaceful protest.
The party has also appealed to the people of the state to support the bandh to protest against fuel price hike and other anti-people policies of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
CLP leader Mukul Sangma, Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee president Celestine Lyngdoh, Shillong MP Vincent Pala and other MLAs had a separate meeting with the AICC leader regarding the matter.
Several organisations, including Meghalaya Tourists Transporters Association, have extended support to the protest.
Soon after his arrival in Shillong on Sunday, the AICC leader told reporters that there was unprecedented hike in the fuel price due to the collapse of rupee, “which has made the life of the people miserable”.
He said heavy taxes are being imposed by the Modi government and this has resulted in the skyrocketing of petrol, diesel and cooking gas prices.
“Modi government has already collected over Rs 11 lakh crore as taxes in the last 52 months by fleecing the common people,” he said.
Faleiro pointed out that the price of crude oil was $107.09 per barrel in March 2014 when UPA was in power, while the present price of international crude oil is $73 per barrel, still the petrol and diesel prices continue to skyrocket during the tenure of the Modi government, he added.
He also said Rafale deal is “the mother of all scams” and it was committed by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the then defence minister was in Goa.
The AICC leader said the promise of the Prime Minister that he would bring back black money and deposit several lakhs of rupees in the bank accounts of the poor have remained just a promise.
The CLP leader said poor farmers are the worst sufferers due to certain policies of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
MPCC president Celestine Lyngdoh hoped that the taxi drivers, shop keepers and all sections of people will take part in the protest.