New Delhi, September 15:
The fuel price rise has become a politically thorny issue for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of assembly polls in Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh later this year and national polls in 2019.
“We are also very much concerned over the steep increase in the prices of petrol and diesel and also fall in the value of rupee against dollar. We have understood the anxiety of the people in this regard… We shall soon come out with an action plan,” Shah said at a press conference in Hyderabad.
The BJP president was on a one-day visit to Telangana to kick-start the party’s election campaign with a massive rally at Mahbubnagar later in the evening. He would also meet party functionaries at Shadnagar to give them a roadmap for the ensuring assembly elections in the state, before returning to Delhi in the night.
Shah said the steady increase in prices of petroleum products in the last few days was on account of international market fluctuations in crude oil prices. “At the same time, dollar value is also going up not just compared to rupee, but a host of other currencies of other countries as well. We know the people are agitated and the BJP is also worried over the rising prices,” he said.
Petrol prices have gone up about 6% and diesel prices by 8% in the country since August 1. Petrol price on Saturday touched a new high with Rs 89.01 a litre in Mumbai and Rs 81.63 in Delhi. Diesel was priced at Rs 78.07 in Mumbai and Rs 73.54 in Delhi.
The fuel price rise has become a politically thorny issue for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of assembly polls in Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh later this year and national polls in 2019.
The weaker rupee and soaring fuel prices had united opposition parties to support a Bharat bandh called by the Congress this week.
Shah’s comments appear to be in contrast to statements by some Union ministers who contend fuel prices are beyond the government’s control.
The BJP president ruled out any kind of alliance with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi in the ensuing assembly elections. “We do not have any understanding or collusion with the TRS. There is absolutely no confusion in this regard. We shall put up a strong fight against the TRS in the elections with an objective of pulling it down from the power,” he said.
Courtesy Hindustan Times
