Hyderabad: The AITUC auto-rickshaw drivers union today staged a unique protest and demanded the union government to immediately reduce the inflated petrol, diesel and gas prices.
The protesting drivers tied the auto-rickshaws with the cycle-rickshaws and took out a rally from Satyanaryana Reddy bhavan to Himayatnagar. Along the way, they also raised slogans against the union and state governments for cheating the common man.
They alleged that the Modi-led government was openly robbing the common man by continuously raising the petrol, diesel and gas prices.
The AITUC state secretary M Narasimha demanded immediate reduction in inflated petrol, diesel and gas prices and said that if the government does not heed to the same they will intensify their agitation after chalking out a strategy.
Narasimha said the central and state governments were looting the poor by raising the prices of all essential commodities, including petrol, diesel and gas, and criticized the central and state governments for failing miserably to control prices.
He said the rise in petrol and diesel prices have set new records in the country and noted that despite the low international crude oil prices, governments were still taxing the common man.
Explaining the woes of auto drivers, Narsimha said that the central government is mortgaging their livelihoods by continuously raising petrol and diesel prices for the past three months after the COVID-19 lockdown made their lives miserable.
“The union, state governments are raising the prices and taxes, when they are supposed to reduce the burden on lives affected by lockdowns,” he added.
The union’s district general secretary R Mallesh said that despite the huge increase in petrol, diesel and gas prices, the Modi government is making the common man a scapegoat by saying that the central government is depending on day to day fuel prices.