Shillong, Sept 10: Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Mukul Sangma on Monday asked the state government to provide relief in view of the rise in prices of petroleum products.
“When situation like this arises, the state government can give relief. Some of the states are thinking of that like the Rajasthan government. We will also look at why the state government should not do it,†Sangma said.
After staging a protest walk against the price rise, the former Chief Minister said that states also have certain space to give some relief when petroleum products are not subsumed in GST, while reminding that the Congress-led government in the state had done it in the past when the prices of crude oil escalated.
“We have resorted to giving relief in addition to what the then Congress-led UPA government did,†he recalled.
On the statement of the NPP-led MDA government that it was not possible to provide relief due to financial crisis in the state, Sangma said, “It is a question of knowing the art of governance. Governance is not everybody’s cup of tea. If they don’t know how to run a government that is their problem, and it is our job to enlighten to the people.â€
Sangma also said that the whole country has witnessed angry and anguish over the anti-people measures and agendas of the BJP-led NDA government.
On Monday, the Congress called the ‘Bharat Bandh†all over the country but the opposition party in Meghalaya did not join the bandh and Congress leaders and party functionaries instead staged a walk from Khyndai Lad, to Congress Bhavan to protest against price rise.
The High Court in Meghalaya has banned calling of bandh, strike and other agitations by militant outfits or other organizations in the state.
AICC general secretary in-charge Meghalaya, Luizinho Faleiro, Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma, Congress MP from Shillong, Vincent H. Pala, and other Congress MLAs, former MLAs and functionaries took part in the protest.
Faleiro in his address slammed the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre for increasing the price of petrol and diesel and asked the party in Meghalaya to also take up other issues that affect the farmers, problems being faced by teachers, and health scheme.
Faleiro said that the economic situation in the country is not encouraging under the leadership of Modi and the party is fighting against “looters†who robbed from the citizens of the country.
He claimed that during the Congress-led UPA government, when the price of crude increased, the UPA government took some measures and brought down the price of fuel in the country.
“During the UPA government, the price of crude was 107.09 dollar per barrel on May 16, 2014. The present price of international crude is 73 dollar per barrel but still the price of petrol and diesel continue to skyrocket at higher levels during the Modi-led government,†Faleiro said while questioning at the NDA government’s promises.
He said that the BJP had alleged the UPA government of corruption, and promised to the people of the country of bringing back black money, help the farmers to double their income but failed to keep its promises.
“They (BJP) promised to bring good days, but we have bad days,†he said.