GUNTUR/ KAKINADA: Demanding reduction in fuel prices, political parties and peoples’ organisation staged a road blockade on Guntur-Amaravati road on Saturday. Stating the Centre has failed to control fuel prices, the protestors aired slogans against the BJP-led government and PM Narendra Modi.
The mob was dispersed after the police swung into action. CPI district secretary (Guntur) J Ajay Kumar said the State government collected `28 as tax on one litre of petrol. Urging the State and Central governments to cut down tax amount so as to give some relief to the citizens, he expressed his anger over the recent hikes in fuel prices.
CPM district secretary (Guntur-west) Pasam Rama Rao criticised the Centre for decreasing fuel prices only by one paisa recently. He alleged the government raised fuel prices even when it went down in international markets. He urged the State government to reduce the prices significantly on par with their Kerala counterpart. Jana Sena’s M Radha said cost of essential commodities were raised abnormally due to increase in fuel rates and demanded the Centre and State to reduce tax by 50 per cent.
Huge burden on common man
In response to the call given by their State committees, Left parties staged a dharna on the Jagannaikpur Bridge in Kakinada on Saturday. CPM leader Duvva Sesubabji said international crude oil price was `109 in 2014, but it is `49 at present. But the Union government was not decreasing the petrol prices since then. The common man was burdened with this, he said and added that it was enough proof that the Centre was working for the interests of the capitalists.