TPCC Chief asks party cadre to protest against inflated power bills on July 6
Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President & Nalgonda MP N. Uttam Kumar Reddy informed that the party would organize protest against the rising prices of petrol and diesel on July 4 and against the inflated electricity bills on July 6.
Addressing the Congress cadre through social media platform Facebook on Friday, Uttam Kumar Reddy appealed to them to participate in both the protests in large numbers while following the Covid-19 guidelines of wearing masks and maintaining a physical distance.
Reddy said that the Congress party would organize a protest in Mandal Headquarters, Towns and Municipalities on July 4 and submit a memorandum to the President of India through the officials concerned. He said the protest was being organized at the national level on the directions of AICC President Sonia Gandhi. He asked the party cadre to conduct hour-long dharnas from 11 am onwards at Tehsil offices in Mandal Headquarters and at the municipality offices in towns. He asked them to submit memorandums addressed to the President to the Tehsildars and Municipal Commissioners concerned. Later, the Congress leaders should upload the video and photo clippings of agitation on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, etc., as part of the ‘Speak Up’ program.
The TPCC Chief said that the BJP-led NDA Government was extending the benefit of drop-in global prices of crude oil to the common man. He pointed out that during the UPA’s regime in 2004-05, the price of petrol was Rs. 30 per liter and diesel was Rs. 25/ltr when per barrel cost of crude oil was $40. The fuel prices in the country were increased when crude oil became costlier. He said the price of crude oil in the international market today stands at $40. But the Modi Government has not extended the benefit to the common people. Instead, it increased the Excise Duty to burden the common people. Similarly, he said the KCR Government was collecting the highest Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel in the country which boosted the prices of petrol and diesel to Rs. 83.49/ltr and Rs. 78.69/ltr today.
He also condemned the TRS Government for the inflated electricity bills charged to the people for the lockdown period. He said each and every family in the State received bills that are 2-4 times higher than the average. He said a massive protest would be held on July 6 demanding a waiver of power bills for the poor consumers and reduction in bill amount for the middle class. He asked the party cadre to organize a protest with black flags and badges. Protests will be held before the offices of electricity firms in all Assembly and District headquarters, he said.
The TPCC Chief demanded that the State Government waive off the electricity bill for two months of lockdown period for those having White Ration Cards. Further, he demanded that the present non-telescopic method of billing be replaced with the telescopic method which would reduce the bill amount by almost 50% for all consumers.
Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee to deliver a talk on PVNR on July 24
Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, former President of India Pranab Mukherjee, former union ministers P. Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh and other personalities will deliver lectures on the life of former PM P.V. Narasimha Rao as part of birth centenary celebrations being organized by the TPCC.
The decision to invite various personalities to deliver a talk on Narasimha Rao was taken during the meeting of the centenary celebrations committee headed by former minister Dr. J. Geetha Reddy on Friday. The meeting, held through Zoom App, was attended by TPCC President Uttam Kumar Reddy, AICC Incharge R.C. Khuntia, Committee’s Vice Chairman D. Sridhar Babu, Convener Mahesh Kumar Goud, former PCC President Ponnala Lakshmaiah, former minister Shabbir Ali, ex-MLA Kodanda Reddy, ex-MP Dr. Mallu Ravi, AICC Spokesperson Dr. Dasoju Sravan and others.
During the meeting, Geetha Reddy described Narasimha Rao as the Father of Economic Reforms in India which eventually took the country on the path of growth and prosperity. She informed that the Economic Reforms Bill was introduced in the Parliament on July 24, 1991. Therefore, as part of centenary celebrations, eminent personalities including Dr. Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, Chidambaram and others would be invited to deliver a talk on Narasimha Rao through video-conferencing on July 24.
Uttam Kumar Reddy informed that many such programs would be organized throughout the year as part of centenary celebrations in honor of Narasimha Rao, a son of Telangana.
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