Petrol price cut just an interim relief: Badal

Terming the slashing of petrol prices by the UPA government as just an interim relief, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said the Centre was preparing ground for "an exorbitant hike" in the near future.
Speaking on the sidelines of the concluding leg of his two-day Sangat Darshan programme in Fatehgarh Churian Assembly constituency, he said reduction of petrol price was a strategy of the Union government to garner support in view of the upcoming elections to four states.
"The situation will further worsen in future as the Union government will hike the prices of petrol manifold in the coming days," he claimed.

Badal alleged that the Union government was hand-in-glove with the big oil companies and was leaving no stone unturned to extend largesses to them at the cost of common man.
On the hike in price of diesel, the Chief Minister said it would prove fatal for the farming community, which is already reeling under a whopping debt due to the anti-farmer policies of the Union government.
He said the hike would escalate transport cost and shatter the household budget of the common man.

Interacting with reporters, he said the sudden surge in the cases of disrespect to turban in foreign countries was an unfortunate development.

The Ministry of External Affairs must use all diplomatic channels at international level to register their protest, he said, pointing out to some recent incidents abroad that hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh community.
Badal also squarely blamed the Union government for smuggling of drugs in the state.