Uproar in UP Assembly over fuel price rise, SP stages walk out

The issue of rising fuel prices rocked the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, with Samajwadi Party MLAs staging a walkout over the matter.Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Leader of Opposition in the assembly Ram Govind Chaudhary said the prices of LPG cylinders have increased significantly and the people are also getting less subsidy.

He said in 10 months' time, the price of an LPG cylinder in Ballia has increased by over Rs 240.

In an apparent reference to the UP Assembly polls next year, Chaudhary said, If the government does not wake up now, then there will be a silent revolution in 2022.

"The prices of petrol and diesel are increasing almost everyday. This is impacting the farmers and the common man," he said.

The leader of opposition said due to the increase in the prices of petrol and diesel, bus and auto-rickshaw fares have also increased in the past few months.

Is this a 'jankalyankari' government (a government which works for the welfare of the public)? This dispensation is not for the poor people,he said, alleging that the government has failed on all fronts.Countering the charges made by Chaudhary, the state's Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG are governed by the international market.

"Our party stands for 'antyodaya' --- benefits reaching the last man of the society. As far as bus fares are concerned, in 2017, there was an increase of only 10 paise - from 95 paise per kilometre to Rs 1.05 per kilometre," Khanna said, adding that the government is making all possible efforts to ensure impact of the fuel price rise is not felt on the poor people.

Price of petrol touched an all-time high of Rs 97 per litre in Mumbai on Saturday, while diesel rate crossed the Rs 88-mark. Cost of petrol rose to Rs 90.58 a litre in Delhi and to Rs 97 in Mumbai.

Petrol price has already surged past the Rs 100-mark at some places in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, which levy the highest VAT on the fuel.