CITU strongly protests the central government's policy of raising petrol and diesel prices

Statement issued by the CITU state secretariat

Protest against the petrol and diesel price rise: CITU

The CITU state secretariat strongly protests the central government's policy of raising petrol and diesel prices. In the last ten days petrol has gone up by Rs 1.33 a litre and diesel by Rs 2.10.

The petroleum price rise hurts people who have lost their jobs and incomes because of the Covid pandemic. The power given to oil companies to fix the prices of petroleum products must be withdrawn immediately.

Crude oil is 48 dollars on the international market. Earlier, when it was over 100 dollars a barrel, petrol cost less than Rs 60 a litre in the country. It is the central government's policy, which gave private monopoly oil companies such as Reliance and Essar the chance to loot the people, that has caused the steep rise in petrol and diesel prices.

The price rise will seriously affect the motor industry. It breaks the back of the motor vehicle sector, already in crisis after Covid, and is unbearable for autorickshaw and taxi workers. A petrol and diesel price rise that pushes motor workers, who have lost their jobs and incomes, into crisis cannot be justified at all.

The CITU appeals to all workers to raise their protest against the petrol and diesel price rise.

Elamaram Kareem
General Secretary