The Delhi Congress on Monday protested against fuel price hike across the country and demanded the centre to roll back the prices.

Party workers protested at petrol pumps across the Capital for the continuous hike in the prices of petrol and diesel for the past three weeks by the Modi Government at the Centre and the Kejriwal Government in Delhi. Party leaders alleged that the decision to hike the prices is taken under pressure from the oil companies.

Congress Delhi unit president Anil Kumar led the protest by riding a horse cart on his way to Raj Niwas to submit a memorandum to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal.

Kumar, along with other Congress leaders were arrested outside the Civil Lines petrol pump and taken to the Maurice Nagar police station. The Congress leaders alleged that the Delhi Police was acting in a partisan manner as cases are filed against Congress leaders when they raise issues affecting the common people while the BJP leaders and workers are left scot free when they organize large demonstrations and dharnas.

“The hike in the prices of petrol and diesel for 22 days on a trot resulted in diesel becoming costlier than petrol in Delhi for the first time ever, and demanded roll back in excise duty by the Central Government and VAT by the Delhi government,” he said.

Terming the Modi Government “insensitive” towards the plight of the people as the hike in the oil prices were pushing up the prices of all essential items steeply, including fruits and vegetables, he said that people should be given the benefit of cheap crude oil price in the international market by lowering the prices in the domestic market as well.

“Both the Modi and Kejriwal Governments were coming under the pressure from the oil companies in hiking the prices of petroleum products to help them reap huge profits while  the people of Delhi were reeling under tremendous stress and strain on account of the fast spread of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

Kumar said that the people of Delhi are still under lockdown mode and many people have lost their jobs with no other source of livelihood. “Under such a situation, instead of giving relief to the people, the Modi and Kejriwal Governments were making the lives of the people harder,” he said.