Uttarakhand Congress chief takes out cycle rally to protest against rising fuel prices

Following the party's general command, Uttarakhand's Congress chief Pritam Singh on Saturday staged a 'cycle protest' against the constant hike in fuel prices. The four time-MLA carried out the rally along with his fellow party members as the petrol price in Dehradun reached Rs 81.60 while diesel price reached Rs 76.06 on Saturday. The Sonia Gandhi-led Opposition has continuously been raising its voice against the spike in fuel prices despite the fall in crude oil cost amid the Coronavirus pandemic. 

In a similar attempt earlier, Karnataka's Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah on Monday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the continuous spike in fuel prices. To protest against the hike, Siddaramiah along with Congress leaders rode a bicycle from his residence to Minsk Square on Monday. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar was also a part of the 'bicycle protest' against the rise in fuel prices.

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"BJP leaders jumped to criticize Dr. Manmohan Singh for increasing fuel prices marginally when CrudeOil price touched $120. Now with Crude price at just $30, Narendra Modi government has increased fuel prices drastically. Why are BJP leaders silent now?" Siddaramaiah had tweeted on Monday. 

READ | Karnataka Congress To Hold Cycle Rally As A Mark Of Protest Against Hike In Fuel Prices

'No one can predict'

Meanwhile, reasoning the spike in fuel price, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, on Monday, said that the world, as well as the Indian economy, is going through challenging times. He added that due to reduce in energy demand in April-May was down by 70-80% due to lockdown, which has impacted the economy. Currently, India's diesel prices are at Rs. 80.53 per litre, which varies from state to state. 

He added, "Now the demand is picking up again. No one can predict oil prices, but we've estimated that as prices in international markets stabilise, prices in India will also stabilise".

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Sonia Gandhi demands immediate rollback

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday, June 29, demanded an immediate rollback of the fuel price hike in various parts of the country. Mentioning that the Modi government had increased the prices of petrol and diesel 22 times since the imposition of lockdown, Gandhi contended that the people were facing hardships due to this. She also lamented that the Centre was not passing on the benefits of the falling crude oil prices in the international market. 

Sonia Gandhi remarked, “The novel coronavirus pandemic on one hand and the hike in the prices of petrol and diesel have made the lives of the people very difficult. Today, the prices of petrol and diesel in Delhi and some other cities has crossed Rs.80 per litre. Since the imposition of the lockdown on March 25, the Modi government increased the prices of petrol and diesel 22 times.” 

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Image Credits: ANI