NEW DELHI:
Congress president
Sonia
Gandhi on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra
Modi
to roll back the
hike in
fuel prices, saying the government's decision
to increase them during the coronavirus crisis is "wholly insensitive" and "ill-advised".
Given that the international
price
of crude oil has fallen by approximately nine per cent over the last week, the government is doing nothing short
of "profiteering off its people" when they are down and out, she said in a letter
to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
Petrol and
diesel prices were hiked for the 10th day in a row on Tuesday. While the
price
of petrol has gone up cumulatively by Rs 5.47 per litre,
price
of diesel has increased by Rs 5.8 per litre.
"I am deeply distressed that in these exceedingly difficult times since the beginning
of March, the government has taken the wholly insensitive decision
to increase petrol and diesel prices on no less than ten separate occasions,"
Gandhi said in her letter.
She accused the government
of earning an additional revenue
of nearly Rs 2.6 lakh crore through these "ill-advised" hikes in excise duty and increase in prices
of petrol and diesel.
"I urge you
to roll back these increases and pass on the benefit
of low oil prices directly
to the citizens
of this country.
"If you wish for them
to be 'self-reliant' then do not place financial fetters on their ability
to move forward," the Congress president said.
Gandhi also urged the government
to use its resources
to put money directly into the hands
of those in need in these times
of severe hardship.
She said India is facing unprecedented public health, economic and social challenges during the ongoing battle against COVID-19 and its people are facing unimaginable hardships like widespread fear and insecurity.
"These
price increases are saddling our people with an additional burden
of this enormous magnitude that is neither justified nor appropriate," she added.
Gandhi said, "It is the duty and responsibility
of the government
to alleviate suffering, not put the people
to still greater hardship."
"I see no logic in why the government would even consider such a
price increase at a time when the economic impact
of COVID-19 is depriving millions
of jobs and livelihood, devastating business(es) big and small, rapidly eroding the income
of the middle class, even as farmers are struggling
to sow the crop for the Kharif season," she said.
"If ever there was a time
to deploy these resources in the service
of the people, it is now," she said.
The Congress has been demanding that petrol and diesel prices be brought under the ambit
of GST. It has also demanded a
rollback
of excise duty hikes on petrol and diesel
to bring down the prices.
The opposition party has said the government is earning out
of the pockets
of the poor by imposing high taxes on petrol and diesel, depriving the common man
of the benefit
of lower crude oil prices.