One paisa cut in fuel prices cruel joke: Pb CM

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today described the one paisa cut in fuel prices a "cruel joke" on the people of the country.

Petrol and diesel prices were today cut by one paisa per litre each, the first reduction after 16 days of relentless price hikes.

The marginal decline in fuel prices had its share of excitement with state-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) first announcing a reduction of 60 paise -- the biggest since daily price revision was introduced in mid-June last year, only to retract it within a couple of hours citing a technical error.

"Clerical error? Nobody can believe that. It is just another joke the Narendra Modi government has perpetrated on the people of the country," Singh was quoted as saying in an official release here.

Terming the one paisa cut "laughable", the chief minister said no wonder people were scorning the move.

It was sad that the central government, with "no clear public welfare policies" in place, was "unable" to check the escalating petroleum prices in the country even though prices of petroleum products in the international market had been coming down continuously, he said.

Singh said all units of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee will be out on the streets to take on the central government over the issue.