Press Release
Hyderabad, February 16: Condemning the hike in petrol prices, YSR Congress has demanded that the Centre should retain the pricing policy methodology and the State should provide a cushion to absorb the increase in petro rates instead of passing it on to the customer.
“YSR has done it earlier. When the Centre has increased the LPG gas price, YSR government did not pass it on to the consumer but has given subsidy while the present state government has no concern for the common man,” party spokesperson Jupudi Prabhakar told reporters here on Saturday.
He said that the Centre should retain the control on pricing of petroleum products as it was during the pre-2010 period, he said. The prices of petrol are hiked by Rs. 1.50 and on diesel 0.50 paise per litre from Friday night.
We strongly condemn the hike of petroleum products ahead of the budget session and the hike will have a cascading effect on public transport and essential commodities as well, he said.
The hike of diesel and petrol will jack up the Railway and RTC fares and will further burden people who are already facing hardships due to the spiraling costs, he said adding that the fare hike a week before the budget session is mockery of democracy.
"Frequent hikes in petrol and diesel prices are being announced after the government ceded the pricing control to oil companies. It is high time that the government take back control of determination of petroleum prices," he said.
The hike will burden the public transport system of Railways and RTC to a tune of Rs 2,900 crores and State has been increasing bus fares and power charges exorbitantly. It has burdened the customer by Rs 32,000 crores through power surcharge and it should show concern by bearing the latest hike in petro products, he said.
The petrol and diesel charges were increased at least 10 times after the Centre conceded the price monitoring right to Oil Companies, he said.
On Chandrababu Naidu’s comments, he said, “the TDP leader could not hold his flock together as people and his own party members have lost faith in him. People are being attracted to YSR Congress policies and are seeing a future Chief Minister in YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.”
His remarks about packages and such talk shows that he is losing grip over the party, he said.
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