GOVT. A FAILURE IS CONTROLING RISING PRICES OF FUEL & ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES- MANOHAR

GOVT. A FAILURE IS CONTROLING RISING PRICES OF FUEL & ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES- MANOHAR
Former Minister & President DCC Kathua Dr Manohar Lal Sharma today alleged that instead of helping people to combat the ravages of the Covid health catastrophe, the central government hiked the prices of petroleum products by at least 20 times after the announcement of results of the recent assembly elections on May 2, which is leading to a cascading inflationary spiral with the wholesale price index rising to an 11-year high. The prices of food articles have risen by nearly 5 per cent in April. Primary commodities saw a rise of 10.16 per cent and manufactured products have risen by 9.01 per cent. By the time these commodities reach the retail markets the consumers are charged much more. Further he said all this is happening when the economy is witnessing a deep recession, galloping unemployment, collapsing purchasing power and rising levels of hunger. He said due to wrong policies of the Centre, inflation has become uncontrollable in the country and the prices of all essential commodities, including petrol, diesel and cooking gas, cooking oil, pulses are increasing at an unprecedented rate and spoke that when the price of crude oil in the international market in April 2014 was USD 108 per barrel ,the price of petrol in the country was Rs 71 per litre and diesel Rs 57 per litre But in June 2021, despite the price of crude oil being USD 61 per barrel, the price of petrol is above Rs 100 per litre and diesel around 100 per litre. He requested people to come forward against anti-people policies of the BJP-led governments. The BJP government is here to sell India and increase the burden of tax on public. The Congress government had nationalized the banks, but the BJP government is making all efforts to privatize the same. The rise in prices of essential commodities impacts every household but the poorest sections are the worst affected. It leads to increase in the average monthly expenditure of households, especially on essential food items such as cooking oil, pulses.
Manohar said the rising inflation has hit the common people hard and quoted that “If a ruler becomes a businessman, then his subjects will become beggars. Narendra Modi-led union government in the centre is an undeclared autocratic government in the country.”