Activists of India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party resist a police water canon during a protest against rise in fuel prices, in New Delhi on January 18. (AP Photo)
Kolkata, January 18 (HT): Refusing to take the price hike issue lying down in poll-bound Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has already shot off a letter of protest to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. On Monday the party, the second largest party in the UPA with 19 MPs, has hit the streets of West Bengal to protest the petrol price hike. On January 19, they are supposed to meet the prime minister over the price hike issue.
“We did not know this would happen. Nobody talked to us, or discussed with us before the recent petroleum price hike,” said Mamata Banerjee. “The UPA is supposed to be the aam aadmi ka sarkar. But the slogan seems to be false now. We have already sent a letter to the government and our leader Mamata Banerjee will take it up with the prime minister,” said Sultan Ahmed, union minister of state for tourism.
Ahmed said the party is against the government policy of decontrolling the petroleum price. “Oil marketing companies should not decide the price. This policy is inappropriate,” Ahmed said. The Centre had announced the decision to decontrol petrol prices on June 25, 2010.
Trinamool’s biggest opponent the CPI(M) has seized the opportunity to portray Mamata Banerjee as an advocate of anti-people policies. Banerjee’s stance has exposed her to the risk of putting her tenuous pre-poll alliance with Congress at risk, but her party’s leaders are not mincing words.
“Even during our meeting with Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday (January 15), this round of petrol price hike was concealed from us. We emerged from the meeting and came to know from the media about it,” said Sudip Bandopadhyay, party chief whip in the Lok Sabha. Bandyopadhyay said Mamata Banerjee’s long standing demand is that a special committee should be set up in UPA to look into such matters. “This was never heeded. We are an ally but the people come first,” added Bandopadhyay.
On Monday, CITU observed a three-hour transport strike in Kokata. Trinamool, too, took out a rally from Esplanade to Moulali on the same issue, apart from organising public meetings at every block in the state.
Annual rate of inflation based on wholesale prices rose to 8.43% in December 2010. In November 2010 the figure stood at 7.48%. The fuel inflation rose to 11.19% in December from 10.3% in November. Faced with a do-or-die polls, Trinamool can ill afford to stay silent in the face of such statistics.
“We did not know this would happen. Nobody talked to us, or discussed with us before the recent petroleum price hike,” said Mamata Banerjee. “The UPA is supposed to be the aam aadmi ka sarkar. But the slogan seems to be false now. We have already sent a letter to the government and our leader Mamata Banerjee will take it up with the prime minister,” said Sultan Ahmed, union minister of state for tourism.
Ahmed said the party is against the government policy of decontrolling the petroleum price. “Oil marketing companies should not decide the price. This policy is inappropriate,” Ahmed said. The Centre had announced the decision to decontrol petrol prices on June 25, 2010.
Trinamool’s biggest opponent the CPI(M) has seized the opportunity to portray Mamata Banerjee as an advocate of anti-people policies. Banerjee’s stance has exposed her to the risk of putting her tenuous pre-poll alliance with Congress at risk, but her party’s leaders are not mincing words.
“Even during our meeting with Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday (January 15), this round of petrol price hike was concealed from us. We emerged from the meeting and came to know from the media about it,” said Sudip Bandopadhyay, party chief whip in the Lok Sabha. Bandyopadhyay said Mamata Banerjee’s long standing demand is that a special committee should be set up in UPA to look into such matters. “This was never heeded. We are an ally but the people come first,” added Bandopadhyay.
On Monday, CITU observed a three-hour transport strike in Kokata. Trinamool, too, took out a rally from Esplanade to Moulali on the same issue, apart from organising public meetings at every block in the state.
Annual rate of inflation based on wholesale prices rose to 8.43% in December 2010. In November 2010 the figure stood at 7.48%. The fuel inflation rose to 11.19% in December from 10.3% in November. Faced with a do-or-die polls, Trinamool can ill afford to stay silent in the face of such statistics.
BJP protests petrol price hike in Delhi
NEW DELHI, January 18 (Agencies): About 500 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers on Tuesday held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi to protest the recent hike in petrol prices. Police had to use water cannons to disperse the crowd. “The protest began around 11 am and is still on. Around 500 people have gathered at the site, including leaders like Vijender Gupta,” a police officer said.
The protesters came on bullock carts, cycles and cycle rickshaws. “The prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed in the last few months and it has become difficult for the common man to survive,” a BJP leader said. He claimed that several protesters were injured by the water cannon.
The BJP is the main opposition party and has been protesting price rise since the last few months.
From Jan 16, the three state oil marketing companies - Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum - raised their petrol price by Rs 2.50-2.54 per litre. In retail outlets of Indian Oil in Delhi, a litre of petrol costs Rs 58.37. It is slightly more expensive at Rs 58.39 a litre in retail outlets of Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum.
The protesters came on bullock carts, cycles and cycle rickshaws. “The prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed in the last few months and it has become difficult for the common man to survive,” a BJP leader said. He claimed that several protesters were injured by the water cannon.
The BJP is the main opposition party and has been protesting price rise since the last few months.
From Jan 16, the three state oil marketing companies - Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum - raised their petrol price by Rs 2.50-2.54 per litre. In retail outlets of Indian Oil in Delhi, a litre of petrol costs Rs 58.37. It is slightly more expensive at Rs 58.39 a litre in retail outlets of Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum.
Pawar blames farmers for price rise
New Delhi, January 18 (Agencies): As the government battles rising prices, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar believes inflation is a subject that cannot be addressed by ministers at a time when onion prices are touching Rs 70 and cost of other vegetables is also headed north. Instead, Pawar says the blame lies with local farmers, who decide vegetable prices. Predictably, the BJP joined the issue asking the prime minister, if the PM and the minister both abdicated responsibility, then who would answer for the crisis? Meanwhile, BJP activists on Tuesday staged a protest against price rise in the capital. Police used water cannons on hundreds of protestors, who had gathered at Jantar Mantar. The protest followed the second hike in fuel prices within a month.
New Delhi, January 18 (Agencies): As the government battles rising prices, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar believes inflation is a subject that cannot be addressed by ministers at a time when onion prices are touching Rs 70 and cost of other vegetables is also headed north. Instead, Pawar says the blame lies with local farmers, who decide vegetable prices. Predictably, the BJP joined the issue asking the prime minister, if the PM and the minister both abdicated responsibility, then who would answer for the crisis? Meanwhile, BJP activists on Tuesday staged a protest against price rise in the capital. Police used water cannons on hundreds of protestors, who had gathered at Jantar Mantar. The protest followed the second hike in fuel prices within a month.
