Opposition asks Centre not to use grains to make sanitisers; demands fuel price cut

Amid reports that the Centre is planning to use foodgrains available with the granaries to make alcohol for hand sanitisers, the Opposition has urged that it should be released to stop starvation deaths among the poor. The Opposition has been saying that 7.5 crore tonnes of foodgrains are stocked in FCI godowns and it should be provided to people immediately.

‘Feed the hungry’

Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi said the poor people should wake up against the Centre’s moves. “After all, when will India’s poor wake up? You are dying of hunger and they are busy cleaning the hands of the rich by making sanitisers from your portion of rice,” he said in Twitter. “Dear BJP, feed the poor before using excess food to make sanitisers for the rich,” said a tweet from the Congress.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the move is beyond criminality. “Instead of feeding starving millions who have lost their ability to survive due to this unplanned and unprepared lockdown, Modi plans to use the huge stock of rice in Central godowns to produce ethanol for sanitisers! India has no shortage for production of ethyl alcohol for sanitisers. Modi heads this surreal criminal government, throwing millions open to possible starvation deaths. Release 7.5 crore tonnes of foodgrains to feed the needy,” he said.

Reduce oil prices

As the crude oil prices went down further on Monday, the Opposition parties urged the Centre to pass the benefits of it to consumers. Rahul Gandhi said even though the crude oil prices have gone down to unexpected levels, the petrol and diesel prices remain at ₹69 and ₹62 in the country. He urged the Centre to decrease the prices. “When will this Government listen to this?” he said.

His party’s spokesman Pawan Khera said India is the tenth largest oil importer from the US after it was banned from importing oil from Iran. “Why did we refuse to buy oil when the price has fallen so low internationally? While we also have storage capacity,” said Khera.

“Central excise duty on oil has been increased 12 times in last 6 years that has earned ₹20 lakh crore. Why has the benefit not been passed on to the consumers? Is the government fulfilling its obligation by not passing on this benefit to the consumers,” he asked.

Yechury added that there is no reason for Modi to continue charging exorbitant rates for cooking gas, diesel and petrol.

“The shutdown has brought the economy to a halt and people need all the relief. It doesn’t befit the Centre to profit from people’s misery,” he said.