Opp Congress demand Prez to direct govt to roll back prices of petrol & diesel

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 29, 2020

The opposition Congress in Meghalaya has sought the intervention of the President of India Ram Nath Kovind to roll back the alleged “extortion” by Narendra Modi government by way of an unprecedented hike in prices of petrol and diesel.

A memorandum on this regard was submitted by the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) through the Deputy Commissioner, East Khasi Hills District, Matsiewdor War Nongbri as part of the nationwide dharna against unprecedented rise in petrol & diesel prices and excise duty.

“We therefore urge upon your good self to direct the immediate rollback of petrol-diesel prices and excise duty increased post 5^th March, 2020 and pass on this benefit to the people of India in these difficult times,” the MPCC said in the letter.

It said that the repeated and unjust increase in the prices as also the central excise duty on petrol and diesel over the last three months of the lockdown has inflicted insurmountable pain and suffering on the people of India.

“As the country faces unprecedented health and economic pandemic, Modi government is profiteering from the misery of the people by repeated increases in prices as also excise duty on petrol and diesel,” the letter stated.

Earlier, the dharna was organized by the MPCC in collaboration with the Shillong City Congress Committee and East Khasi Hills District Congress Committee at the Congress Bhavan here.

The programme was led by James S Lyngdoh, Working President, MPCC, Charles Pyngrope, MLA & President Shillong City Congress Committee and Kennedy C.Khyriem, President, East Khasi Hills DCC and was attended by party functionaries including the Mahila, Youth, NSUI and Social Media.

In his address, Lyngdoh wondered, while in the international market the price of ‘crude’ has been declining every day, why the Government of India has been steadily increasing the Petrol and Diesel Prices, in order to earn Excise Duty.

He condemned that when people of India have already been suffering economically due to COVID-19 Lock Down.

The Central Government instead of giving help to them, is blowing petrol and diesel Price Blows on them.

Lyngdoh further informed that all the DCCs in Meghalaya have been observing the ‘dharna’ in front of their DCC offices today and handing over similar memoranda to the respective Deputy Commissioner for onward communication to the President of India.

For strictly adhering to the Covid-19, protocol, he said all the Block Congress Committees,(BCCs) would observe dharnas between June 30 to July 4 in Meghalaya.