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Truckers and Farmers threaten
Gherao of Indian Parliament
on 18 February
WSN Bureau
CHANDIGARH:
In order to focus attention on the plight of truckers and farmers
across the state of Punjab on account of petroleum prices, the All
India Motor Transport Congress led by Charan Singh Lohara and the
Bharatiya Kisan Union led by Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, have threatened
to protest outside the Indian Parliament from 18 February onwards
till their demand for substantial lowering of diesel prices is met.
Speaking to the
media after a long meeting at the local Kisan Bhavan attended by a
score of transport and farmer bodies from Punjab, the two leaders
said that they will mobilies fifty thousand truckers and farmers as
the government of India and especially the Petroleum Ministry has
not responded positively to their demands inspite of the weeklong
strike by the truckers all over the country. Representatives of all
three groups of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal), Bharatiya
Kisan Union (Rajewal) and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Pashaura)
participated in the deliberations and they have all endorsed the
agitation programme.
The leaders
ridiculed the government of
India by
pointing out that the price of crude has fallen from 147 dollars a
barrel to 40 dollars in the international market, but the petroleum
products prices in India have not kept pace with it, whereas when
there is an increase in prices, the government is hypersensitive to
increase the same.
Mr. Lohara
warned the government of India that in case it failed to listen to
the cries of the transport trade, at the next strike call, the
wheels of all industry would come to a halt, affecting the economy
in a severe way at this juncture when there is a downturn in the
economy of the country and in the international market.
Releasing a
document, Diesel Prices and the Common Man at the meet, the
coalition leaders said that “We have reason to fear that prior to
the start of the next Lok Sabha election process, the government of
India is toying with the idea of decontrol of Petroleum prices and
we have information that the Petroleum ministry is already
collaborating with Reliance Industries, Essar and others.In a
country which has witnessed a subsidy regime for so long, this is
the biggest threat. Every citizen of the country should ask the
government the rationale for such a step which will have far
reaching consequences for the man on the street.
 Every
road user is perturbed over the toll that they have to pay, but
little to people reaslie that like the steel, tyre, cement companies
and road-building contractor-companies (BOT), which formed a cartel
to loot and cheat the consumers and which the government has failed
to stop under the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act,
there is a strong possibility that petroleum companies will form a
cartel and then prices of petrol and diesel will touch sky-high,
said the AIMTC president.
The AIMTC and
all factions of the BKU have demanded a White Paper on petroleum
prices from the government of
India and have
said that the losses of public sector units are their own creation
and there should a thorough probe in their working. The document
said that “We demand that a White Paper be placed by the Petroleum
Ministry in the Parliament during the coming and possibly the last
session of this Parliament providing details to all stakeholders who
are bearing the brunt of the huge losses shown by the PSUs. We
believe that a thorough investigation in the working of the PSUs be
done while preparing this white paper, so that the truth can be
found, as we are more than convinced that like Satyam, there is
another huge fraud which is waiting to be unearthed.”
Another
significant point raised by the leaders related to the reduction in
the prices of aviation turbine fuel. The leaders pointed out that
“The price of Aviation Turbine Fuel, used in commercial aircrafts
has been reduced eight times in the past few months from
Rs. 72 per litre to Rs. 29 per litre. The price of aviation fuel
is less than diesel to be used in transport and by various other
users including farmers. So, whose government is it –of the aam
aadmi or high fliers only?”
Pointing out
that diesel is one of the main cost factors which increases
indebtedness of farmers and forces them to commit suicide, BKU
representatives said that, “Punjab witnesses 10-15 hour electricity
cuts daily, farmers have no choice but to rely on using diesel
generators.”
28 January 2009
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