AAP MLAs protest outside petroleum ministry over fuel prices

AAP MLAs today staged a protest outside the Shastri Bhawan here, which houses the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, over the rising fuel prices.

In a letter to Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, AAP’s Delhi unit convenor Gopal Rai said oil companies should be immediately instructed to link petrol and diesel prices to international market.

He said oil prices in the country continue to remain in the range of Rs 70-80, as they were in 2014, despite the price of crude oil in the international market falling by 50 per cent since then.

“Huge profits made by these oil companies should be passed on to the public,” he said.

A senior police official said the MLAs were detained briefly.

“Around 1:30 PM, 22 AAP MLAs and three corporators were protesting outside the Shastri Bhawan over the rising fuel prices. They were detained and later released,” said a senior police official.