BJP leader and Bihar cabinet minister Narayan Prasad on Friday said common people will not be affected by the rising prices of petrol and diesel across the country since they have a habit of using public transport and are used to seeing such inflations.
He further said that politicians were the only ones raising a hue and cry about the surge in fuel price, not the common people. “Common people mostly use buses. Only a few use private transportation… It is affecting me too. The people will get used to it,” NDTV quoted Prasad as saying.
Petrol price on Friday crossed the Rs 90-per-litre mark in Delhi, and diesel soared to Rs 80.60 after rates were increased for the 11th consecutive day in a row.
Meanwhile, the surge in auto fuel and LPG cylinder prices rocked the first day of the Budget session in Bihar on Friday with the opposition parties accusing the government of cheating the “common people”.
RJD MLAs Akhtarul Islam Shaheen and Mukesh Kumar Raushan came to the State Assembly on bicycles to protest against the fuel price spike. Shaheen was carrying placards which read, “The price of petrol reached Rs 100 at some places in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and Rs 92.70 in Bihar. Diesel has also hit all-time high of Rs 85.30 and the prices are surging every day. It is directly affecting the common people. The Centre should immediately slash the prices of petrol and diesel.”
Recently, after facing flak from Opposition parties over rising fuel prices, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan had blamed the artificial price mechanism created by the Oil producing nations for spiralling retail prices of petrol and diesel which have touched an all time high. Noting that India meets 80 per cent of its fuel requirement from oil producing nations, the minister said “we are facing challenges on the price” as the crude oil price was again on a rising trend.
