Congress launches ‘100 Not Out’  stir against fuel prices  

BENGALURU: The Congress on Friday launched its ‘100 Not Out’ protest across Karnataka against the fuel price hike, to highlight the spiralling rates of petrol and diesel. The protest will go on for the next four days outside 5,000 petrol bunks. Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, KPCC president DK Shivakumar, Dinesh Gundu Rao and RV Deshpande demonstrated outside a petrol bunk in Seshadripuram, raising slogans against the Central government. 

“PM Modi said acche din would come but we are seeing only hellish days. By hiking the price of fuel continuously, the government is financially oppressing the people who are reeling under economic losses due to the pandemic, like salary cuts and job losses. When Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister, BJP leaders, including Modi, had protested against fuel prices which were Rs 25-30 lower,” Siddaramaiah said. The Congress plans to keep up the protests over the weekend, with Shivakumar heading to Chitradurga and Tiptur.

MLA Krishna Byre Gowda, who protested at Kodigehalli Gate on Airport Road, spoke of the impact of international crude rates on prices. “When the price of world crude oil was $130 and petrol price was Rs 70 during the UPA tenure, BJP had protested. Now, when crude prices are around $70, the BJP government should reduce fuel price to Rs 50, instead they have effected a steep, unjust hike.’’ Other leaders too protested in different parts of the city. 

Police arrested the leaders, who were later let off. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “The Congress has the nature to break rules, they could have protested virtually instead.” It may be recalled that Congress leaders had protested against fuel prices last February too, before the pandemic.