Fuel price rise: Congress MLAs ride bicycles to Madhya Pradesh Assembly complex

Legislators of the opposition Congress on Monday reached the Madhya Pradesh Assembly complex here on bicycles as a mark of protest against the rise in fuel prices.

The budget session of the state Assembly began on Monday.

Congress MLAs P C Sharma, Jitu Patwari, Kunal Choudhary, Shashank Bhargava and Arif Masood rode bicycles to the Assembly complex from Vyapam Square in the city.

Sharma told reporters that crude oil prices in the international market almost doubled during the previous UPA regime at the Centre, but the rates of petrol, diesel and LPG in the country were lower at that time.

"Now, when the prices of crude oil are lower in the international market, the fuel is being sold at much higher rate," the MLA from Bhopal South-West said.

Demanding a rollback of the fuel prices, Sharma said MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan should also now ride a bicycle.

Notably, during the previous UPA regime at the Centre, Chouhan had registered his protest against fuel price hike at that time by riding a bicycle.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Medical Education Vishvas Sarang claimed the previous Congress government increased the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel in the state.

"A new jet was purchased and a huge amount of money was spent on bungalows during the Congress regime," the BJP leader alleged while talking to reporters.

Sarang said the Congress legislators did "this drama" on Monday only to grab media attention.

They should use bicycle every day if their protest is real, he added.

The budget session of the state Assembly will continue till March 26.