Parliament adjourned for the day over petrol price hike
New Delhi, Mar. 4 : Both Houses of the Parliament were today adjourned for the day following uproar over the recent hike in petrol prices.
As soon as the Lok Sabha met for the day, members from Left parties, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and others trooped into the well of the House in support of their demand.
Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha too.
The Rajya Sabha was first adjourned earlier for ten minutes, but the protests continued forcing the Chairman Mohammed Hamid Ansari to adjourn the House till noon.
Samajwadi Party members also joined the opposition and demanded the roll back. Samajwadi Party lawmaker Naresh Agarwal stated that the increase in fuel prices was breach of Parliamentary procedure.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla made a statement that the government was willing for a discussion, but the opposition did not relent.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien later adjourned the house till 2 p.m. as the protests continued on the issue.
The Rajya Sabha, which met at 2.00 p.m., was again adjourned for one hour till 3.00 p.m. and later for the day.
Petrol price was hiked on March 1 by Re 1.40 per litre.
Petrol in Delhi is now costs Rs. 70.74 per litre, while in Mumbai Rs. 77.66 per litre.
The new rate of petrol in Chennai costs Rs. 73.95 per litre, while in Kolkata it is Rs. 78.34 per litre
The rates have been revised following the rise in international oil prices and depreciation in rupee. The previous petrol price hike was Rs. Rs 1.50 per litre, excluding VAT, on February 16.