Hyderabad, January 19: To register his protest against the hike in petrol price, the State BJP president and MLA, Mr G. Kishen Reddy, on Wednesday, came to the Assembly to attend Public Accounts Committee meeting by peddling a bicycle.
Accompanied by some 20 party workers, Mr Kishen Reddy started from Kachiguda by peddling a cycle to participate in the PAC meeting held on the Assembly premises. However, the police stopped the BJP workers at the Assembly and allowed only Mr Kishen Reddy inside.
Speaking to mediapersons, Mr Kishen Reddy said that the frequent hike in prices of petrol and diesel has caused economic burden on the common people. He pointed out that the price hike in fuel prices automatically increases the prices of essential commodities.
“During seven-year regime of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, the price of petrol was hiked 19 times worsening the fate of the common people. Moreover, the State government was levying 33 percent Sales Tax on petrol in the State”, Mr Kishen Reddy deplored. The State government was earning Rs 7,000 crores per year from the Sales Tax on fuels, he added. He also pointed out that petrol and diesel prices in the State were highest in the country.
Reminding that price of petrol was Rs 32 per liter during A B Vajpayee regime at the Centre, the BJP leader pointed out that the same has touched Rs 62.18 per liter now. Whenever fuel prices are increased in world market, then NDA government had set up a corpus fund to check the price of petrol and diesel in the country.
The BJP floor leader in the Assembly demanded that the Centre and State governments take immediate steps to bring down the petrol price for the benefit of the common people. Reminding that the Congress party has received blow on its face in the local body elections in Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka and Rajasthan, he warned that the same fate would be meted out to the Congress, if it fails to take corrective measures.
NSS