Chandigarh: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President and Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur Sunil Jakhar said that the Indian National Congress (INC) will expose the failures of the Modi government by further accelerating their agitation against NDA Government on the issue of rising petroleum prices and inflation. So in the third phase of the agitation, now on June 7, INC will hold the agitation rallies in all the assembly constituencies of Punjab.
Sunil Jakhar said in a statement issued here today that every section of society including middle and lower middle class, farmers, traders and laborers are worried due to the rising inflation due to the wrong policies of the Modi government. However, rising oil prices have been a cause of gravity in the inflation and this has led to inflation becoming more harmful. Due to inflation, it has become difficult for ordinary people to run day-to-day expenses. The people were shocked earlier because of the demonetisation and GST, and now diesel petrol prices have disturbing the life of common man.
Sunil Jakhar said that in such a scenario Congress party cannot sit quietly. Therefore, it has been decided by the Congress party that the people of the country should be made aware of the wrong policies of the Modi government and difference of the Congress government under the leadership of Manmohan Singh from 2004 to 2014 and of BJP government led by Narender Modi since 2014 would be explained to countrymen so that people could understand the truth of ‘achhe din’.
Sunil Jakhar said that in 2012 when crude oil prices in the international market were $ 104.09 per barrel, the Manmohan Singh government was providing diesel at Rs 40.91 per liter and petrol at Rs 73.18 per liter, and now when crude oil price in the international market slashed to only $ 67.50 per barrel, then the Modi government is providing diesel at Rs 69.07 and petrol at Rs 83.05 per liter. Similarly, when the cost of crude oil in June 2004 was $ 35.54 per barrel, the Congress government led by Manmohan Singh was providing the diesel at Rs 22.74 and petrol at Rs 35.71 per liter in the country and when the prices of crude oil in February 2016 were again fell to $ 31.03 per barrel, the Modi government forced the people of the country to buy diesel at Rs 44.96 and petrol for Rs 59.95 per litter at that time too.
Jakhar said that only because of the increased cost of diesel during last one year, farmers of Punjab will have to spend Rs.1500 crores more on diesel than the last year to grow paddy, maize and cotton during current Kharif season. He said that in such a situation the silence of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) which is the alliance partner of NDA is very unfortunate as SAD always telling itself as farmers’ party. Jakhar challenged the Akali Dal that if they really have concerned about the farmers then the SAD should come forward to raise voice against the central government instead of being silent on this issue because due to price rise of diesel everyone in the society is suffering.
While talking about the claims of SAD leaders about GST waiver from Langar Jakhar said that if SAD has any influence on Modi Government then GST was not imposed on langar even from very first day of GST regime. He said that it was the Congress party that raised this issue in an effective way inside and outside Parliament, which forced the Modi government to relieve the langar from the GST.