BJD to stage dharna outside Raj Bhavan over fuel price hike

BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Wednesday announced to stage dharna outside Raj Bhavan on May 28 opposing the Centre’s inaction to regulate prices of petrol and diesel.
The party would also stage peaceful demonstration in all 314 blocks and awareness rallies near petrol pumps across Odisha for three days starting from May 28.

Informing it here at a news conference, party general secretary Sanjay Das Burma said they would also submit a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind through governor Satya Pal Malik.

“Common people are suffering because of the anti-poor and anti-people policies of the NDA government. The government at the Centre is exploiting people by increasing excise duty and charging cess on petrol and diesel. It is ridiculous that that the Union oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan is urging state government to reduce VAT on fuel even as Odisha government charges low VAT,” Das Burma said.

He also accused the BJP-ruled states like Maharashtra and Assam of charging VAT on petrol and diesel at par with Odisha and collecting additional cess.

The prices of one litre petrol and diesel in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday was Rs 76.02 and Rs 73.03 respectively.