Bhatti launches cycle yatra to protest fuel price hike

Both the Central and State governments responsible for the spiralling prices, says CLP leader

The BJP-led Central government is pulling the country to the days of commuting by cycles, prevalent around four to five decades ago, burdening the common man with record high petrol and diesel prices, said the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.

Both the Central and State governments are responsible for the spiralling prices of petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders as they continue to levy excessive taxes and cess on petrol and diesel, he charged, deploring that the soaring prices of fuel hit the common man the hardest. Mr Vikramarka on Sunday kick-started his six-day cycle yatra from Bhadrachalam to Khammam as part of the campaign to drum up support for the party candidate Ramulu Naik, who is in the fray for the Legislative Council election to the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Graduates’ Constituency slated for March 14.

The cycle yatra will conclude in Khammam on March 12. Earlier in the day, the CLP leader offered prayers at the historic Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy temple before embarking on the cycle yatra.

A host of senior Congress leaders including Bhadrachalam MLA Podem Veeraiah, MLC T Jeevan Reddy, former Union Minister P Balram Naik and others were present.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Vikramarka charged both the Central and State governments with levying around ₹ 58 taxes per litre of petrol posing unbearable burden on consumers. During the Congress-led UPA regime the fuel taxes used to be low at ₹ 12 per litre despite the high international crude oil prices that ranged between $105-$130 per barrel at that time, he said, criticising the persons at the helm for imposing huge burden on fuel consumers by levying exorbitant taxes in spite of sharp fall in the international crude oil price to around $48 per barrel at present. The BJP regime at the Centre is hell bent on privatising the public sector enterprises set up during the Congress regime as part of its pro-corporate policies, he alleged, accusing the TRS dispensation in the State of promoting private universities by undermining the State universities depriving underprivileged students of higher educational opportunities.

Both the BJP and the TRS have no moral right to seek votes in the ensuing MLC elections, he said, urging graduates to reject both the parties at the hustings and elect the Congress candidate to safeguard the interests of unemployed youth, government and private employees, among all other sections of society.

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