Announcing a nationwide protest on Thursday, the Congress today attacked the Centre over the hike in petrol and diesel prices and said that the "shameless fleecing" of the public must stop.
"On 31st March at 11 am, people will protest outside their homes and public places with garlanded gas cylinders and beat of drums-bells, other instruments to draw the attention of the deaf BJP government against the insurmountable increase in prices of gas, petrol, and diesel," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said at a news conference in Delhi.
The party's campaign appeared to draw inspiration from the one that BJP conducted during the nationwide Covid lockdown. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked people to clap and beat utensils to show gratitude to the health workers. People, locked in their homes for days because of the shutdown, stood in their balconies and porches, drumming utensils and gongs.
Taking a swipe at the BJP government that was just sworn-in in Uttar Pradesh, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, "King prepares for a palace, while subjects reel under inflation."
Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 80 paise a litre each on Saturday, the fourth increase in five days as oil firms passed on to consumers the spike in the cost of crude.
Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed said just this week, petrol and diesel prices have gone up by Rs 3.20 a litre.
"Fuel prices were kept constant for 4 months before elections and now hiked four times in just a week. This shameless fleecing of the public must stop!" she tweeted.
The Congress accused the BJP government of earning Rs 26 lakh crore in eight years by increasing excise duty on petrol and diesel. The party has announced a “Mehngai Mukt Bharat Abhiyan”, a three-phase protest against rising fuel prices across the country between March 31 and April 7.
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