Deora slams Opposition over fuel hike agitation
30 Jun 2010
Petroleum minister Murli Deora yesterday justified the hike in fuel prices saying the increase translated to less than Re1 per day on domestic LPG and 26-27 paisa a day on kerosene.
Opposition parties have called for a nationwide strike against the hike in fuel prices.
"We have kept the burden on the poor man the minimal. The talk of the hike breaking the back of the poor and common man is nothing but exaggeration. The facts are before you," he said.
BJP and Left parties have separately called for a nationwide strike on 5 July against the fuel price hike.
"The NDA government raised price of PDS kerosene from Rs2.52 per litre in January 1998 to Rs9 per litre in March 2002. This hike was 258 per cent, even though crude oil prices rose by just 147 per cent during the period," he said.
Kerosene prices had not been increased by the Congress-led UPA government for the past six years, despite the price of crude oil increasing more than 100 per cent from $36 a barrel in May 2004, to $78.