Sena attacks Centre over rising fuel prices

The Shiv Sena on Thursday hit out at the Centre over rising fuel prices across the country.

The Shiv Sena on Thursday hit out at the Centre over rising fuel prices across the country.

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Sena mouthpiece Saamana, in an editorial, said the Centre was giving a free hand to oil companies, although crude oil prices haven’t risen. In a jibe, the editorial said the “increasing fuel prices might be filling the coffers of the Centre, but it should keep in mind that it is emptying the pockets of common man”.

Fuel prices were hiked for the 19th day in a row on Thursday. After an 82-day hiatus, oil companies restarted revising prices in line with costs on June 7. In the past 18 days, diesel and petrol got dearer by ₹10.48 and ₹8.50, respectively, the editorial said.

In a strongly worded editorial, the Sena said fuel prices are any government’s source of revenue, but there should be a “limit” to it. “Only two things are increasing in the country today – Covid-19 count and fuel prices... There is at least an attempt to curb the Covid-19 spread, but there is total silence on the rising fuel prices. Since the lockdown ended, the Covid-19 cases have increased and since ‘unlock’ fuel prices are skyrocketing,” the editorial said.

The editorial added that for the first time ever, diesel became costlier than petrol in the country in New Delhi.

The write-up in the Marathi daily added that although the country has been ‘unlocked’, people still do not have jobs.

“The government unlocked the country to bring the economy back on track, but oil companies have unlocked the prices of petrol and diesel to their advantage,” it said.