Chandumajra Demands White Paper On Fuel Pricing
5 Dariya News
Chandigarh 14-Sep-2012
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader and Chief Spokesman, Prof. Prem Singh Chandumajra, while demanding roll back of the hike in diesel price, called for a high level inquiry into the profiteering by the oil companies to bring out the fact before the people and their anti-people policies being dictated by the World bank through the UPA government. He said these companies were out to put more and more burden on the common people to show profits.In a statement issued here today, Prof. Chandumajra said Petroleum Minister himself admitted on the floor of the Parliament that the oil companies were earning huge profits while outside, the logic of these companies being in losses was being advanced that was the travesty of facts. This double speak to misguide the people must be exposed through a high level inquiry.Strongly opposing repeated hike in petrol and diesel prices, Prof. Chandumajra said the Shiromani Akali Dal would resist the hike and take the issue to the people’s court. He said the Punjab farmers would be the worst hit apart from the common man all over the country. He said the farmer who was already facing the policies of discrimination would be crushed under the added burden of this hike. He pointed out that the centre had already discriminated against the Punjab farmers in the matter of drought relief.He advised Congress President and the former Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh to stage dharna against the fuel price hike in Delhi rather than mislead the people of the state and press his party government to withdraw this unbearable burden. Capt. Amarinder Singh, who was engaged in saving his presidentship, should press the UPA government for the roll back.He said the fuel prices were being consistently hiked and the logic being extended by the government at the centre carried no weight and was baseless. People were being presented distorted facts. The hikes were being affected on the logic of staggering loss to the oil companies while the fact was that these companies were earning huge profits. This was part of the record. The case in point was that of the oil company of Reliance owned by Mr. Mukesh Ambani. This company earned a profit of Rs. 20000 crore during the last fiscal. It was 15,898 crore in the previous year that amounted to profit hike of 25 per cent. Yet another company earned a profit of about 20,000 crore during 2010-11. The three companies in the public sector including Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum had Rs. 11000 crore profits in their kitty during the same period. Indian Oil had earlier paid taxes amounting to about Rs. 74,000 crore. The company has consistently been in profit during the last 44 years. On the other hand, people were being burdened on the logic that these companies would go bankrupt that was contrary to the facts. He said the government must immediately roll back the hike and bring out a white paper on the fuel pricing and profits of the oil companies.