Fuel Price Hike: RJD, JD-S, Left extend support to Congress’ ‘Bharat Bandh’

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Saturday extended its support to the September 10 ‘Bharat bandh’ called by the Congress to protest against the skyrocketing fuel prices.

“We have to strengthen our opposition’s unity in the proposed Bharat bandh... We will be actively participating in Bharat bandh for people’s interest,” RJD national vice president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh told reporters in Patna.

The main Opposition party Congress had announced a nationwide protest on September 10 over the rising petrol and diesel prices. Besides the RJD, several other Opposition parties, including the Left, have also announced their support to the bandh.

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Singh expressed fears that the way fuel prices were increasing under the Narendra Modi government, they will soon touch the century mark.

Both the central and state governments are charging tax together 50 per cent of the total price of petrol/diesel per litre, Singh said, adding that the centre has raked in around Rs 11 lakh crore in the past four years by levying excise duty on petrol products.

Congress-JD(S) gears up to make Bharat Bandh a success

The Karnataka unit of the Congress party has geared up to make the nationwide bandh called by the All India Congress Committee on September 10 a success. The Bharat bandh was to protest against ‘price rise’, ‘fall’ of rupee against the dollar and other issues that ‘affect’ the people across the country.

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The Janata Dal-Secular, which runs a coalition government with the Congress, has also extended support to the bandh. So has a host of organisations such as Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, KSRTC, BMTC, Ola and Uber Drivers and Owners Association, Private Taxi Owners Association, Tours and Travels Taxi Association, Auto Drivers’ Association.

(With inputs from PTI)