After targeting Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, Maharashtra Minister of Housing Jitendra Awhad, on Friday, asked Big B Amitabh Bachchan and Union Minister Smriti Irani to break their silence on the increasing petrol and diesel prices. The trio in the past had strongly attacked the UPA government in the wake of auto fuel hike, but now are maintaining studied silence.
Awhad referred to Bachchan’s tweet from May 2012 “T 753 -Petrol up Rs 7.5 : Pump attendant - 'Kitne ka daloon ?' ! Mumbaikar - '2-4 rupye ka car ke upar spray kar de bhai, jalana hai !!’’
Taunting Bachchan, he said, “Have you not filled your fuel at the petrol pump or you don’t look at the bill @SrBachchan. It’s time for you to speak; hope you are not biased. The price of diesel petrol has reached its peak. Ab Mumbaikar kya kare? Car jalaye ya car chalaye.’’
Awhad later took a swipe at Irani, who had led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) agitation during UPA rule against auto fuel rise. Irani in her tweet in 2011 had slammed the UPA government and said, “Petrol price hiked yet again. Aam Aadmi ki UPA sarkar now only works for khaas tel companies!!”
The minister asked Irani, “What will you tweet now when the fuel prices have reached a historical height?” He tweeted, “I am sure you are not a patient of dementia and remember all the tweets you posted some years ago. Congrats you’all with #modiji for this historical achievement.”
Earlier, Awhad called upon actor Akshay Kumar to speak up and referred to his tweet in the past: “Couldn’t even get to my house at night for all of Mumbai was queuing up for #petrol before the prices rocketed again.”
The minister in his tweet said, “Are you not active on @Twitter. Have you stopped using cars. Don’t you read the newspaper @akshaykumar. There has been a steep #PetrolDieselPriceHikejust for your information.”
Awhad resorted to target them, especially when diesel price has been hiked for the twentieth straight day and petrol price was hiked for the nineteenth time.
In Mumbai, petrol is priced at Rs 86.91 per litre and diesel at Rs 78.51 per litre.
