Shah links petrol-diesel price rise & ` slide to global factors, says 'Govt framing action plan'

Hyderabad: Holding international developments responsible for galloping petrol and diesel prices and sharp dip in the rupee's value, BJP president Amit Shah said on Saturday that the Centre will come out with a solution soon. Petrol and diesel prices have scaled new highs since mid-August due to a combination of a dip in the rupee value against the US dollar and rise in crude oil prices.

"The increasing petrol and diesel prices and sliding rupee against dollar are a cause of concern for both the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and the government," Shah told reporters here. "It was due to some developments that took place globally. Trade war between US and China and issues between the US and oil producing countries. Because of these global reasons, these developments are taking place," he added.

"We are also concerned about this. Solution is also being found out. Within a short time, the Government will take a stand on these issues and come out," he said further. But Shah opined that the impact on the rupee was "far less" than compared to other currencies. The Opposition parties led by the Congress had on September 10 called a nationwide shutdown to protest against the escalating prices of fuel and other essential items.

Replying to a query on the arrest warrant issued by the Dharmabad court in Maharashtra against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and some of his party functionaries, Shah said that the BJP had nothing to do with it. The warrant was issued in a case related to an agitation that Naidu, then in the Opposition in united Andhra Pradesh, undertook over the Babli project on the Godavari river in 2010.

He said that there were Congress governments in both Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra during 2010 when the case was taken up by the court. "Now Chandrababu is trying to have a tie-up with those pursuing vendetta against him. He is trying to gain sympathy out of the issue," claimed Shah.

The BJP chief observed that the case was filed in 2010 and the police filed a chargesheet in 2013. Naidu did not respond even after several summons were issued by the court against him, Shah pointed out.