Bihar: Fuel price hike storms Budget session on Day 1

Patna, Feb 19 (IANS) The surge in auto fuel and LPG cylinder prices rocked the first day of the Budget session in Bihar on Friday with the opposition parties accusing the government of cheating the 'common people'.Congress' Shakeel Ahmad Khan came at the state legislature with a clay stove and woods to protest against the surge in fuel and cooking gas rates. "The Central government has been continuously increasing LPG rates in the country. It has also eliminated the subsidy, and as a result the consumers are being forced to purchase cylinders at a rate close to Rs 900 apiece. This is directly hitting the budget of the middle and the lower class people. The common men are being cheated," said Ahmad, the MLA from Kadwa constituency.RJD MLA from Samastipur, Akhtarul Islam Shaheen came to the Assembly on a bicycle and rode around the Vidhan Sabha premises to protest against the fuel price spike.Shaheen was carrying placards which read: "The price of petrol reached Rs 100 at some places in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and Rs 92.70 in Bihar. Diesel has also hit all-time high of Rs 85.30 and the prices are surging every day. It is directly affecting the common people. The Centre should immediately slash the prices of petrol and diesel."Mukesh Kumar Raushan, RJD MLA from Mahua, is another leader who reached the state Assembly on bicycle to register his protest against the hike in fuel prices. Meanwhile, the Left parties staged a demonstration against the farm laws amid the Budget session.
--IANS ajk/sdr