The Nationalist Congress Party chief spokesman and Minority Affair Minister Nawab Malik on Sunday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government at the Centre over the burgeoning rise in petrol and diesel prices and CNG and PNG.
“Modiji, who used to say, ‘Mere nasibase daam kum ho rahe hai’, but the prices are now soaring due to whose fate? Due to your luck or the fate of the people? Who is unlucky, you or the people of the country?” asked Malik demanding an answer from Modi.
“The BJP contested the elections on the issue of petrol-diesel prices in the country. Shortly after Modi came to power in 2014, fuel prices were reduced. In the Delhi Assembly elections, Modi told the opposition parties that the fuel prices were down due to his luck. Modi is answerable to the people why the fuel prices are rising and who is responsible for that?” asked Malik.
Malik’s outburst came a day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar criticised the Centre, saying that the government was not bothered about hardships faced by the common man as it was busy making up the deficit in its budget with the revenue it earns from taxes on fuel.
“It has never happened that petrol-diesel prices are going up every day. The Centre says this is due to rising prices in the international market. But even though oil prices fell in the international market a few days ago, the Centre has not reduced prices in ourcountry. In other countries, however, auto fuel prices are falling,” Pawar had said on Saturday.
Malik’s criticism came close on the heels of a rise in fuel prices for the third time in a row, hitting a new record high. State-owned oil companies have hiked petrol and diesel prices by 35 paise per litre.
Due to the new hike, the petrol price in Mumbai rose to Rs 111.43 per litre, while in Delhi, it touched a new high of Rs 105.49 per litre. In Mumbai, the diesel price has gone up to Rs 102.15 per litre, while in Delhi it has surged up to Rs 94.22 per litre. This is the 15th hike in petrol and the 18th hike in diesel in the last three weeks.
