Utkal Reporter bureau
Bhubaneswar|16 September 2017
Biju Janata Dal,(BJD) the in-power party in Odisha will stage protest shows against the central government forthe increasing petrol and diesel price in the country.
Youth, student and woman organisations will demonstrate before District headquarters until the central government reduces prices of petrol and diesel, said BJD in a press meet by its authorised leaders on Friday.
BJD Vice President Debi Mishra, General Secretary Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Sanjay Dasburma and Arun Sahu and President of BJD women forum Pramila Mallick addressed the press.
Petrol price in the country now has become maximum in three years. In Mumbai it is approaching Rs 80 a litre while in Delhi it has crossed Rs 70. In Odisha retail outlets petrol costs near Rs 70 and diesel costs Rs 58.
BJD said, the escalated cost of petrol, diesel and cooking gas is hitting the common man hard. The central government is dithering to protect the consumer’s interest. And the Petroleum Minister has expressed his helplessness in this concern, added the party.
In 2014 crude oil in the international market was at 108 dollar a barrel but it has dropped to 50 dollar now yet petroleum products like petrol, diesel and cooking gas are claiming high price. The party alleged that the Petroleum Minister refused to decrease the price only to protect the interest of the Oil companies.
Since the NDA government took the charge of government excise duty on petrol has gone up by 125% and that of diesel by 500%, pointed the BJD leaders and alleged that central government is not interested to cut the duties so that consumers’ interest could be protected.
Prices of Petrol and diesel have been climbing up since July. As it has crossed Rs 70mark there are reactions coming up. Voice against the government for the price rise is becoming loud.
However the central government till now is immune to the reactions. Of course the Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has come out with an explanation on Wednesday for the current situation of the Oil market.
He attributed the recent hurricane in USA as the factor for the present spike in the petrol and diesel price and expressed hope the situation to ease out soon. He showed no sign that the government would intervene in the price mechanism, at least at present.
The Minister advocates bringing petrol and diesel under GST regime to have a uniform price of these items across the country.
Price of ptrol and diesel has been made market linked since 2010 and 2014 respectively. And since June 16 both the important petroleum products have been brought under daily price revision mechanism.
BJP’s Odisha unit has reacted to this agitation call of BJD. Through a press release its spokesman Dillip Mohanty said this is sign of BJD’s intolerance for the central government and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Major share of the state’s annual budget comes from petrol and petroleum products, stated the party and claimed that the central grants that the state receives for its development works come from taxes from the oil market.
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