Union Minister Puri rules out increase in fuel prices

Union Minister for Petroleum Hardeep Singh Puri has ruled out any possibility of increase in prices of petroleum products in near future. Puri was addressing a press conference today after attending a seminar held at Chandigarh BJP party headquarters, “Kamalam”, on the 50th anniversary of the imposition of the Emergency by the Congress government.

While replying to a question whether the recent Iran-Israel war had any adverse impact on the supply of petroleum products in the country and any possibility of increase in their rates due to this, Puri said the country had adequate supplies of petroleum products from different sources during the Iran-Israel conflict. He said situation could have been slightly different had the Strait of Hormuz been closed, but there was no such threat now as the ceasefire came into effect between both the countries.

Puri criticised the Congress government for imposition of the Emergency. He said those were the darkest days of India’s democracy. He said the Congress never respects democratic values. He said the Congress government dismissed many elected governments during its tenure. In contrast, the BJP governments whether led by Vajpayee or Modi never indulged in such practices. Puri said the Kanishka bombing was a terrorist attack. He said the tragedy was not an accident, but a deliberate and heinous act carried out by those who wanted to divide India.

Puri said on the intervening night of June 25 and 26, 1975, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi forcibly imposed Emergency in the country only to save her chair. Playing with the basic spirit of the Constitution, 48 amendments were made in it during 21 days.

More than one lakh citizens of the country were put behind bars, he said, while adding that newspaper offices were locked and their electricity connections cut off.

On the occasion, democracy fighters Deshraj Tandon and Jatinder Chopra, who were jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency, were honoured.

Puri also inaugurated an exhibition based on the Emergency at the party headquarters Kamalam. Later, he planted saplings on the BJP office premises.

BJP state president Jatinder Pal Malhotra, programme coordinator Shakti Prakash Devshali, former state president and Himachal co-in-charge Sanjay Tandon, former president Arun Sood, former MP and Additional Solicitor General Satyapal Jain, programme coordinator Jagtar Dhillon, Ruchi Sekhri and Sameer Gupta along with state officials were present on the occasion.