Panthers protest against rising prices of essential commodities
Jammu: Peeved over the sharp rise in prices of petrol, diesel and gas besides other essential commodities during the last four years of the BJP regime, scores of Panther activists spearheaded by Harsh Dev Singh Chairman JKNPP, Yash Paul Kundal State President Young Panthers and other leaders staged a vociferous protest demonstration at Exhibition Ground Jammu today. The agitated protestors amid raising anti-BJP slogans torched its effigy to express their resentment over the current inflation in the country which had broken the back of the common masses.
Describing India’s Petrol and Diesel prices costliest in Southeast Asia, Harsh Dev Singh divulged that while the international prices of crude oil had fallen sharply from an annual average of $105 per barrel in 2013-14 to $ 55 in 2017-18, the Centre had hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel over ten times. He further said that at the time when GST had been introduced to rationalise indirect taxes in the country, it was indeed hypocritical to keep petro-products outside the GST ambit in order to raise additional central revenues. “The retail prices of diesel and petrol in June 2018 had surpassed the levels prevailing in June 2014 when the Narendra Modi government had just been sworn into office. If the petrol at Rs. 80 per litre on an average was brought under the new tax regime, it would cost as little as Rs. 46 per litre at 12% GST rate. Couple of days ago, by cutting the price of petrol by one paisa, the government had amazed the entire country by making a contemptuous mockery of the people”, Harsh said.
He regretted that burning holes in the pocket of common people had become a benchmark of BJP’s governance and the collection of exorbitant excise duty over Rs. 2.5 lakh crores annually from diesel and petrol had become a new normal which was like looting people and not at all justified. Referring to the price rise of domestic gas in the country on a frequent basis, Singh said that with the petrol and diesel becoming dearer, the price rise of other petroleum products like domestic LPG cylinders had also added to the woes of the end consumers. He added that with the price rise of non -subsidized LPG cylinder by nearly Rs. 50/- on June 1st, it had recorded the steepest increase in six years. The price of LPG touching Rs.760.50 per cylinder in the State has become an issue of serious concern in every house hold , Harsh rued.
Addressing the media, Harsh Dev Singh lambasted BJP for its hypocrisy and double speak over the inflation issue. He reminded that while the BJP was in opposition, its front line leaders wasted no time to lodge series of protest demonstrations at every nook and corner of the country against the price rise of essential commodities but now when the Saffron party having been in power for the last four years, the inflation rate had peaked all time high and broken all records with none of its Ministers uttering a word over the soaring prices. Anguished over the price rise of essentials which had broken the spine of a common man, he pointed out that prices of almost all the pulses and cereals had risen by an astounding rate. Likewise, the prices of vegetables, edible oils and dairy products had crossed all time high adding further burden on the people, Harsh disclosed.
Yash Paul Kundal said that BJP which was voted to power in the country and the state had failed to realize its grandiloquent promise of good governance, development, employment opportunities, literacy, poverty alleviation, etc and was only indulging in rabble rousing and hollow rants for vote bank politics. He said that Panthers Party shall continue its crusade against the back breaking inflation and not relent unless the State government controlled the price rise to the succor of the people. He said that NPP shall agitate on every nook and corner of Jammu Pradesh to expose, oppose and depose the BJP for its duplicity, deceit and betrayals. He asked the GoI to immediately withdraw the massive excise duty imposed on diesel and petrol and keep the LPG away from the purview of the new tax regime to provide relief to the common man against the spiraling prices of gas and fuel.