Opposition has failed miserably to protest over fuel hike
Stany Bela
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Sep 5: The constant hike in petrol, diesel and gold prices in India are burning holes in a common man’s pocket. While the union government blames rise in global oil prices as the main reason, analysts comment that the hike is aimed at supporting the petroleum companies.
Since August 16, petrol prices have risen by over Rs 2 per litre while diesel has recorded hike of Rs 2.42 a litre during this period. The latest rise of 16 paise made petrol cost Rs 79.31 in Delhi, while diesel touched Rs 71.34 with the latest increase of 19 paise per litre.
Justifying the record breaking hike, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has said the rise in fuel prices in the country was ‘temporary,’ and a result of rise in global crude oil prices. But the people, who are aware of international crude oil market, claim that the Union Minister is fooling the people with false and narrow statements and indirectly supporting the petroleum companies for price hike.
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In social media and other web platforms, the experts are trying to expose the ‘daylight robbery’ by petroleum companies and the government’s failure on curbing the price hike and the reality of global fuel market.
Meanwhile, most of the Indians have arrived at an opinion that ‘government has failed to control the fuel prices.’ But apart from that, along with experts, entire country is wondering why the opposition has maintained silence.
From January 2018 onwards, fuel prices have been hiked continuously. At time of Karnataka Assembly elections, government curbed the price hike for a short period purely with the intention of political gain. Immediately after the election, government allowed fuel companies to increase the prices. Since August 24, prices have been hiked continuously for 10 consecutive days. Still the opposition parties of the country are in coma and have not come to the common man’s rescue who is suffering due to price hike.
Recalling the fuel price hike at the time of UPA government and the opposition’s agitations, experts ask “haven’t opposition parties learnt lessons from the way BJP hit the streets at every opportunity prior to 2014. Don’t they remember how BJP leaders from booth level to nation’s capital organised protests and opposed price hikes?”
“Opposition parties have completely forgotten their duty and responsibility. The continuous fuel price hike is making people suffer in all ways. Government is completely supporting petroleum companies. The silence maintained by the opposition raises suspicion that even they are receiving a share and are benefitting with the price hike,” says Anup a grocery owner of Mangaluru.
Recalling the BJP agitation at the term of UPA rule, Renuka, a house wife from Puttur has posted on her Facebook wall “When Manmohan Singh led government increased a paisa for fuel twice in a year, the BJP workers came to streets and projected it as the failure of the government. Many BJP leaders led the protest rallies by using bullock carts. Their women leaders sat on roads with empty gas cylinders. Apart from their political agenda by protests, they succeeded to put a pressure on government to re-think the price hikes many times. They made people believe that they are with them. Now same party is in power, but can’t stop the price hike. But it is great tragedy that our opposition is not at all bothered about people’s issues. If few leaders sit in media rooms and talk something, they believe they have done their duty,”
“Petrol, diesel and gas prices are hitting all time high. Why are opposition parties not hitting the streets? What are they waiting for,” tweets Yashwant Sinha, Former BJP leader.
“Where is the opposition? Why aren’t they protesting on streets? It’s a year or may be just few months to go for elections. India is imploding due to unemployment, communal divide, high petrol and food prices, mismanagement of economy, corruption, and lynching incidents. What’s stopping them?” tweets Nikhil, an Indian who resides at Sydney.
Not raising voice against the major faults of government like continuous price hikes of fuel and gas, Congress party is showing that it will not come to the help of common people. It has already lost the space in the hearts of people of India. It’s surviving only on the names of Nehru, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. By sitting quite on major issues it seems that it has lost its credibility in society. The same applies to other opposition parties as well.
If someone says opposition has agenda or it will bounce back, this is the best time for them. The daily hike on fuel price has given them a golden opportunity to speak on behalf of common people and to get a grip on pan-Indian issues.
Indian opposition has lost the opportunity to take up national issues for a long time now due to its own faults and wrong strategies. The current situation should be a wakeup call.