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| STATEMENT OF FORMER PRIME MINISTER AND JANATA DAL (SECULAR) PRESIDENT SH H D DEVE GOWDA ON THE GOVERNMENT’S PIECEMEAL REDUCTION IN AUTO FUEL PRICES |
Posted: New Delhi, Dec 6, 2008 |
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At a time when international crude oil prices have touched an all time low, the UPA Government’s decision to cut auto fuel prices by a meager Rs 5 a litre for petrol and Rs 2 a litre for diesel is pitiful and nothing short of pittance.
Though the Congress-led coalition had effected a steep hike in prices of petrol by Rs 5 a litre, diesel by Rs 3 per litre and LPG by Rs 50 a cylinder in June, crude oil prices had started declining since August itself. From a high of USD 142 a barrel, the Indian basket stood at USD 41.53 as on December 4.
Though the international prices have come down by almost one-third, the Government has chosen to pass on only a marginal benefit of the fall in international prices to the Indian consumers.
It is most unfortunate that the Indian housewives, already battling steep hike in prices of edible oils, vegetables, and other kitchen items, have been left in the lurch with no reduction in LPG prices, which were increased by a whopping Rs 50 per cylinder.
The price of diesel, which was hiked by Rs 3, has been reduced by only Rs 2, thereby continuing to burden the farmers, who are heavily dependent on the fuel for their agricultural needs.
It is regrettable that the Government has also not considered it necessary to reduce the price of Kerosene, which is the life fuel of the poor and the downtrodden across rural India, where electricity is a luxury and LPG an extravaganze.
The woes of the common man, reeling under an unprecedented price rise, also remains unchanged as transportation cost of essential commodities would continue to remain on the higher side.
With this piecemeal action, the Government has made a mockery of the people and once again exposed its anti-people, anti-farmer and anti-poor approach.
The fact remains that taxes of all kinds account for 57 per cent of the selling cost of petrol while in the case of diesel, more than one-third of the price paid by the consumer goes to the Government in the form of taxes/excise duties etc. Thus, with every price rise, it is the Government that makes money out of the common man's misery by a corresponding increase in taxes.
The Janata Dal (Secular) demands that as a short-term measure, the Government pass on the entire benefit of fall in international crude oil prices to the consumers including heavy reduction in LPG and kerosene prices to provide them immediate relief from soaring prices and on a long-term rectify the anomalies in the pricing structure, establish a Price Stabilisation Fund from the cess that ONGC and Oil India Ltd are paying to the Government as suggested in successive reports of the Standing Committee of Parliament and earmark substantial funds for the development of the oil sector and research and development of bio-fuel to meet our long-term requirements.
Otherwise, the fuel hike reduction would be nothing but an eyewash and a gimmick done with an eye on the vote bank.
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