RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav protested against the fuel price hike by riding a bicycle along with party workers in Patna on Thursday, saying that it has badly affected the common man who is already facing the heat of the economic downturn due to the lockdown.
The leader of opposition in the state assembly, who was joined by his brother Tej Pratap Yadav, also pulled a tractor by rope till Dakbungalow from their 10, Circular Road residence along with party workers to assert that farmers have been hit the most due to the hike in fuel prices.
"The tractor is the identity of a farmer. Everyone is badly affected by the fuel price hike but the farmers are affected the most. What will we do with the tractor if we can not pay for diesel? We are today symbolically protesting against both the Centre and the state government which have miserably failed on all fronts,” Tejashwi said.
Tejashwi, the former deputy chief minister, said there has been a constant price rise of petrol and diesel ever since the NDA government came to power at the Centre.
The prices of petrol and diesel have increased significantly pinching the people who are already suffering because of the poor economic situation in the country, he said.
Tej Pratap sought to know how the people would pay for the sky-rocketing fuel prices.
"It will become quite difficult for farmers to irrigate their lands as they cannot afford such hefty fuel prices,” he said.
The 19th daily increase in fuel rates since oil companies on June 7 restarted revising prices in line with costs after ending an 82-day hiatus in rate revision, has taken diesel prices to fresh highs.
In 19 straight days, diesel price has gone up by Rs 10.63 per litre. Petrol price has been hiked on 18 occasions since June 7 and now totals to Rs 8.66 a litre. Assembly elections in the state are due later this year.