BJP wants petrol prices down by Rs 5 a litre

New Delhi, Nov 4: Accusing the Government of ''looting the public'' at a time when the crude prices had touched around 50 dollar a barrel in the international market, the BJP today demanded the government bring down the prices of petrol by Rs five and diesel by Rs four a litre.

BJP Spokesman Prakash Javadekar said that the current prices were fixed when crude prices hovered around 78 dollars a barrel but the government continued to maintain this high level, when the prices had come down to 50 dollars for over a month. ''The government can easily bring down the prices and hence the demand,'' he said reminding the assurance of Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora.

''It is the wrong petroleum price policy which had forced the prices of essential commodities hit the roof for 18th succesive week with every perceivable essential commodities going out of the hands of the common man, be it food grain, vegetables or edible oils,'' Mr Javadekar said, adding the government had totally failed to control inflation and prices when it ascended to power on the slogan of working hand in hand with the common man.

He said when the government is hesitant to provide a decent returns for the farmers' produce, modesty did not deter it to import Australian wheat and sell it mandatorily through its public distribution system in the states of Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. ''Since the grain quality is a suspect, the government is finding no takers of these imported low quality wheat,'' he claimed.

UNI

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