By PTI
NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for a little less than an hour on Tuesday as opposition parties, including the Congress and TMC, voiced their protest against the hike in petrol, diesel and cooking gas LPG prices.
While TMC members stormed into the well of the House carrying placards on the issue, Congress, Left, Samajwadi Party and Shiv Sena MPs were up on their feet, some shouting slogans.
This after Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said he has not accepted notices given by Shaktisinh Gohil (Congress), Dola Sen (TMC), V Sivadasan, Elamaram Kareem and John Brittas (CPM) under rule 267, requiring setting aside of the listed agenda to take up a discussion.
Naidu said the issue can be discussed during demands for grants of concerned ministries.
Petrol and diesel prices were on Tuesday hiked by 80 paise a litre each while domestic cooking gas LPG rates were increased by Rs 50 per cylinder as state oil firms ended an over four and half month election-related hiatus in rate revision, fanning inflation fears.
As opposition MPs tried to raise the issue, Naidu rejected their call and called for the listed zero hour mentions.
“This is not the way,” he said as opposition MPs stood up in their places shouting slogans.
He ordered that nothing that protesting MPs said would go on the record.
When TMC MPs rushed to the well of the House, Naidu said this will lead to the foregoing of zero-hour submissions of 19 members.
But an unrelenting opposition continued to shout slogans.
“Names of the people, whoever is carrying placards, their names are to be noted and put in bulletin,” he said before adjourning the proceedings till 12 noon.
The NCP and Congress hit out at the central government on Tuesday over the latest fuel price hike, and questioned the need for increasing the rates at a time when crude oil was imported at highly discounted rates” from Russia.
The petrol and diesel prices were on Tuesday hiked by 80 paise a litre, while the domestic cooking gas prices were increased by Rs 50 per cylinder, ending an over four-and-half month election-related hiatus in rate revision, sources said.
“What was the need to increase the price of cooking gas when you (the Centre) have already imported lakhs of barrels of crude oil at highly discounted rates from Russia,” NCP’s Maharashtra unit chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase asked.
The crude oil price has increased to USD 140 per barrel in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, he noted.
On one hand, the petroleum ministry is trying to justify the price hike due to increased international prices of crude and on the other, they have made a “swift deal at highly discounted rates”, said the NCP leader, whose party shares power with the Shiv Sena and Congress in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole accused the Centre of inflicting atrocities on people as soon as the elections got over.
He was referring to the Assembly polls held recently in five states – Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa.
“Had said that the BJP will recover (dues) from the people along with interest once it wins elections. Petrol, diesel, gas recovery on,” Patole tweeted in Hindi.
Petrol in Delhi will now cost Rs 96.21 per litre as against Rs 95.41 previously, while diesel rates have gone up from Rs 86.67 per litre to Rs 87.47.
Simultaneously, the price of a non-subsidised LPG cylinder has been increased to Rs 949.50 for each 14.2-kg bottle in the national capital.
While the LPG rates were last revised on October 6, 2021, petrol and diesel prices had been on a freeze since November 4 as the five states went to polls.
The LPG prices had gone up by close to Rs 100 per cylinder between July and October 6, 2021, before criticism halted the revision in rates.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday slammed the ruling BJP over the hike in domestic cooking gas price, terming it “another gift of inflation” for the people after the elections in five states.
Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 80 paise a litre while domestic cooking gas prices were increased by Rs 50 per cylinder, ending an over four-and-a-half month election-related hiatus in rate revision.
In a tweet in Hindi, Akhilesh Yadav said, “Another gift of inflation from the BJP government for the public. LPG cylinder in Lucknow is close to Rs 1,000 and in Patna above Rs 1,000! Elections over, inflation begins.”
While LPG rates were last revised on October 6, 2021, petrol and diesel prices had been on a freeze since November 4 as five states including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab went to polls.
LPG prices had gone up by close to Rs 100 per cylinder between July and October 6, 2021, before criticism halted the revision in rates.
Both LPG and auto fuel prices had been on a freeze since then despite the cost of raw material spiralling, first because of demand returning with economies globally rebounding from the pandemic induced slowdown and then due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
