BJD Stages Dharna Against Steep Hike In Fuel Price

Bhubaneswar: Protesting against the soaring price of fuel, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) staged a protest demonstration in front of Raj Bhawan her on Monday .

Earlier in the day, the BJD workers led by Sanjay Dasburma and the activists of the party’s frontal wings took out a rally, demanding an immediate rollback in the fuel price.

Later, a 30-member delegation went to the Raj Bhawan and submitted a memorandum, addressed to the President, to Governor Ganeshi Lal.

Talking to mediapersons, Dasburma said as compared to other states, the Odisha government has imposed the lowest value-added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel. With the Centre levying 100 per cent excise tax on fuel, people are feeling excess financial burden on the people. “Both the Union Petroleum Minister and the Centre have grossly failed to regulate the fuel price,” he added.

In his reaction, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the Centre is trying its best to find an early solution to regulate the fuel prices in the international market and stabilise the value of the Indian currency against the US dollar.

Taking a dig at the BJD, he said when the Centre had slashed the excise duty on fuel the state Finance minister had cried foul saying that the Odisha government sustained huge revenue loss. “I don’t want to comments on the BJD leaders for their irresponsible statements,” he added.