HYDERABAD: Coming down heavily on the BJP government at the Centre for enhancing petrol and diesel prices after elections to the five states, TPCC president and MP A. Revanth Reddy said the Congress would organise protest programmes in the state demanding procurement of paddy from farmers.
Revanth Reddy participated in the Ugadi festival celebrations held at Gandhi Bhavan on Saturday. Later, he said the state and the Central governments were looting people's money by increasing fuel prices. He demanded that the governments reduce their tax share in fuel prices to help the common man.
"When the Congress was in power, the domestic gas cylinder price was Rs 414, petrol was Rs 71 and diesel Rs 55. Even when barrel price was increased, the UPA government did not increase the fuel prices keeping in view the financial issues of the common man. During the NDA period, the BJP cheated the people by increasing fuel prices after five state general elections were held," Revanth Reddy said.
The TPCC president alleged that the Central and state governments looted Rs 36 lakh crore public money in the name of increasing fuel prices for seven years. Even as the crude oil prices came down, the state government obtained Rs 10 lakh crore and the NDA government received Rs 26 lakh crore by collecting taxes from vehicle riders, Revanth Reddy alleged.
He announced that the Congress would stage protests in front of Ambedkar statues at mandal headquarters on April 4, dharnas at collectorates on April 6 and protests in front of Vidyut Soudha, demanding rollback of fuel prices and procurement of paddy from farmers.
