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‘Petrol costlier than desi ghee, clear loot of common man’s money’: Sachin Pilot
Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister, Sachin Pilot launched a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Centre on rising fuel prices in the country saying the prices of petrol and diesel are now “more than desi ghee
Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister, Sachin Pilot launched a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Centre on rising fuel prices in the country saying the prices of petrol and diesel are now “more than desi ghee.”
Pilot’s comments came during his press conference on Friday in presence of Uttarakhand state president Pritam Singh and other party leaders at Congress state headquarters in Dehradun.
Attacking BJP, Pilot said, “After BJP came to power in 2014, there are many issues due to which the people of the country are suffering but one of the major ones is the skyrocketing prices of petrol and diesel. Their price is now more than desi ghee as claimed by an elderly while having a conversation with me in Rajasthan.”
“It is beyond imagination that the prices of petrol have crossed ₹100 in more than 250 cities in the country. This year alone, so far, the government has increased the price of petrol a total of 66 times. As per the government’s own figures, the excise on petrol has increased by 250% while 800% on diesel in the last seven years which has got them a revenue of ₹25lakh crores. This is nothing but a direct attack on the pockets of common man,” he said.
The senior Congress leader also compared the prices of petrol during the UPA rule in 2014.
“In 2014, when the crude oil price was US $105, the price of petrol was ₹71. But now, when the crude oil price has come down to about US $45, the petrol price is more than ₹100. It is beyond understanding why the BJP government is not passing on the benefit of low crude oil prices to the public by reducing the petrol prices and is looting them by increasing it. This government is just taking from the public and not giving it anything,” said Pilot.
He also accused the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre of reducing the domestic production of crude oil.
“They talk of Atmanirbhar India but have reduced the domestic production of country’s total petroleum consumption from 24% during our rule in 2014 to 18% today. The oil major ONGC, which was a cash surplus company at our time, is now cash strapped because it was forced by this government to buy out loss-making Gujarat Petroleum Corporation which was on the brink of insolvency,” said Pilot.
He also attacked the “sad state of the country’s economy.”
“Today, there is job loss and unemployment everywhere in the country. In the last two months alone, 2 crore jobs have been lost against this government’s promise of generating 2 crore new jobs. Also, because of this government’s faulty economic policies, 23 crore people in the country have slipped below the poverty line,” said Pilot.
“But whenever we demand answers from it on these issues, it only talks of India-Pakistan, mandir-masjid or gives slogans which are of no use,” he said.
Later during his address to media on the Uttarakhand elections, Pilot said that the party is ready to fight it “unitedly and is confident of winning with a thumping majority.”
“The ruling BJP, despite getting a clear mandate from the public, has created political instability in Uttarakhand by changing two CMs and having a third one in four months. The people of the state are feeling duped and waiting to give their full support to Congress in the 2022 elections. Till then, the party will raise the issues faced by the public,” said Pilot.
On the factionalism in the party’s Uttarakhand unit, he said, “There is no tussle for power in the party but that’s a healthy competition showing able and efficient leadership here. As per the party’s tradition, if the party wins the polls in 2022, the central leadership will choose the face of CM without any issues.”
The state BJP, meanwhile, refuted Pilot’s allegation against the government. “Pilot is dissatisfied with his central leadership and is just doing his duty as party leader in whichever state he is being sent to,” said Madan Kaushik, party state president.
“Also, before giving a lecture on fuel prices, he should have asked his government to slash the VAT of petrol and diesel in Rajasthan where it is maximum in the country. Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, both ruled by the BJP, have the lowest VAT,” he added.
Kaushik also said, “The prices of petrol and diesel have risen because of price hike in the international market amid Covid-19 pandemic which has affected economies of all the countries including India.”
