Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday, 31 March, that the PM’s “to-do” list included raising the prices of petrol and diesel, making farmers in the country helpless, and privatising government properties.
Mocking the PM’s monthly show 'Mann Ki Baat' by using the hashtag ‘Roz Subah Ki Baat’, Gandhi tweeted in Hindi:
“Prime Minister's Daily To-Do List: 1. How much should I increase the rate of petrol-diesel-gas 2. How to stop people's 'Kharche Pe Charcha' 3. How to show youth empty dreams of employment 4. Which government company should I sell today 5. How to make farmers more helpless (sic).”
Nationwide Protest
The Congress had announced on 26 March that it would launch a three-phase nationwide protest under the banner of 'Mehngai Mukt Bharat Abhiyan' between 31 March and 7 April against the escalation in fuel prices.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had recently linked the surge to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the disruptions it had caused in the supply chain of fuel.
Fuel prices saw yet another hike on Thursday as the prices of petrol and diesel were both raised by 80 paise per litre. This marks the ninth hike in fuel prices since 22 March.
In Delhi, petrol and diesel prices stood at Rs 101.81 per litre and Rs 93.07 per litre respectively. In Mumbai, petrol and diesel prices per litre were Rs 116.72 and Rs 100.94, up by 84 paise each.
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