Almost six years after a Bharat Bandh call given by the BJP protesting the fuel price hike in the regime of Manmohan Singh, the Congress too has announced a massive protest across the country against the incumbent Government as petrol is priced exorbitantly at `80 per litre against the UPA’s `69 per litre.
The DMK has announced to extend its support to the nationwide shutdown on September 10 and has committed for an active part in making it a success.
The Congress said most of the Opposition parties have given their consent to support and its leaders have talked to the Left parties, the Samajwadi Party, the NCP, RJD and others, who have extended their support to the Congress on the issue. On Trinamool Congress, the party said it has agreed to support but won’t give a call for bandh as they are in Government. Senior party leaders recalled how BJP had protested and called for Bharat Bandh on May 31, 2012.
Congress spokesperson RPN Singh said all political parties will take to the streets to protest against the rising prices of petrol and diesel that are hitting the common man hard and questioned the Prime Minister’s silence on the issue. He said the September 10 ‘Bharat Bandh’ protest is “not of the Congress but of the common man”.
Congress hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking whether petrol prices would hit the century mark under his Government and if the rupee was in hospital. “The Prime Minister during the UPA’s tenure had said the rupee is in hospital. The rupee has touched an all-time low against the US dollar, where is the Prime Minister now? He is neither tweeting nor giving any speech. Never has the rupee touched such low levels in the history of the country. The country wants to ask him why is he silent? Is the rupee in hospital today?” he asked.
Singh alleged that this Government has failed on all fronts, including “economy, employment, welfare of the youth, farmers and every section of society”.
He said petrol has touched the `80 mark in Delhi and has breached the `90 mark at places like Bhiwandi and asked if it will “cross the century mark under this Government”. Singh said the Government has earned `11 lakh crore through taxes on petrol and diesel. The common man, who has paid the taxes, should take to the streets to protest. He said the Congress will organise State-level press conferences in over 90 cities to highlight the fuel price rise and urged people to make the bandh a success by participating in it.
BJP and NDA partners had called for nationwide bandh to demand a rollback of the then steepest-ever petrol price hike and termed the UPA government as an “anti-people” and a “savage attack” on the people. TMC and DMK, then partners in UPA had demanded a rollback of fuel price hike.
Congress also reminded the Manmohan Singh Government’s argument that the hike was effected by petroleum companies as the pricing of petrol stands deregulated. Also demanding a roll back, the then Shiv Sena supremo late Bal Thackeray had said a Bharat bandh is “acceptable” to the party. Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare too had joined the battle.