Sunil Jakhar addresses a press conference in Chandigarh Monday. Kamleshwar Singh
Punjab Congress has decided to stage a nationwide protest against hike petrol and diesel prices on May 31 to take on the BJP government in the Centre.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Punjab Congress chief Sunil Kumar Jakhar said the government had earned Rs 10-12 lakh crores annually by have not passed on the benefit of decreasing global petroleum prices even though farmers in Punjab were suffering due to the crisis and committing suicides. He said Congress government in Punjab had single-handedly rolled out a farm debt waiver of Rs 10,000 crore. “Various SOS calls to the Centrefor help bore no fruit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is answerable to the people of the country.”
The Punjab Congress unit even played a video clip feature some BJP leaders criticising the rising fuel price in May 2012. Jakhar said on May 31, 2012, the international price of crude oil was $104.09 per barrel while diesel and petrol in India was being sold at Rs 40.91and Rs 73.18 per litre. On May 25, 2018, the rate of crude oil had fallen sharply to $67.50 per barrel but diesel and petrol were being sold at Rs 69.09 and Rs 78.12 which clearly showed that despite the fall in crude oil prices, Centre had increased the price exorbitantly.