Why Big B, Akshay quiet on fuel prices now, asks Congress leader

Maha Congress chief Nana Patole asked why Bollywood celebrities, including actors Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, who had tweeted about high fuel prices during the UPA regime were quiet now

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Wednesday asked why Bollywood celebrities, including actors Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, who had tweeted about high fuel prices during the UPA regime were quiet now.

Stars such as Bachchan and Kumar had tweeted when the price of petrol rose to Rs 70 per litre, Patole said at a press conference here.

"But now the price is nearly Rs 100 per litre. Why are they quiet? Don't they have the courage to speak against the dictatorial Modi government," Patole, who had had a brief stint with the BJP before returning to the Congress' fold, said.

"The UPA government functioned democratically, hence they could criticise it," he further said.

Fuel prices should be reduced to give relief to the common people, he added.

Besides high petrol and diesel prices, the price of LPG cylinder too has gone up to Rs 800, Patole noted.

"Due to the coronavirus pandemic, people are facing a lot of hardship. Since international crude prices have come down, petrol should have cost Rs 35 per litre and diesel Rs 25 per litre," he said.

The state Congress will launch a protest if the fuel price hike is not rolled back, he warned.