Chandigarh, June 18
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly condemned the hike in petrol and diesel prices by the Narendra Modi-led central government, thus putting more burden on the people, who were already suffering due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Friday, AAP’s senior leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab Assembly, Harpal Singh Cheema said that the escalating fuel prices depict the apathy of the Modi government towards interest of the common people and its anti-people stance. He said that the increase in petrol and diesel prices had also led to an increase in prices of everything, which was putting a burden on the poor, middle class and everyone.
Cheema further said that successive rises have had a far-reaching effect on the prices of commodities and all this at a time when people were facing financial hardships and personal tragedies due to non-existence of government support. “Petrol now costs over Rs 100, up by over 30 rupees, while the nation tackles a pandemic,” he added. “The increase in the prices of fuel will not only affect the common man but it will also affect the already burdened farmers as it would increase their cost of production,” said Cheema. He said that the Modi-led central government had proved yet again that the welfare of the people was not their top priority.
Meanwhile, taking a dig at the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Punjab government, the AAP leader said that as compared to the northern states, petrol and diesel was more expensive in Punjab, due to the Captain government’s hike in various taxes. Cheema said that the Captain government was paying no heed to the problems of the people and was looting the state’s wealth by giving a free hand to the mafia and by filling their own and cronies’ coffers. He said that the Captain government was charging people extra taxes on basic necessities like fuel, which was pushing the fuel prices further. “The Chief Minister of Punjab seems to have no care for the masses and is following the footsteps of his boss Modi,” he added.
Cheema said that the hike in fuel prices had a direct impact on the prices of essential goods as well, which were escalating and burning holes in common man’s pockets. He further said that while the poor and middle classes were struggling to make ends meet due to closed businesses, the central government and the Captain government was busy looting its own people. Cheema said that the AAP had always been raising the issues of the people and will continue to fight for their rights. He demanded the Chief Minister to provide tax relief to the people of Punjab on basic necessities, to lessen their burden.
