New Delhi: Union Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily, who was under attack for his suggestion of having petrol pumps open for 12 hours, on Monday clarified that it wasn’t the government idea but had come from the public.
The idea to have petrol pumps open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. was also rejected by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Sources told this newspaper that Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram met the PM briefly on Monday to discuss the idea and the latter rejected it.
Moily said that the Petroleum Ministry has not taken any decision yet and no decision will be taken to keep petrol pumps dry in any part of the country. He added that if the opposition had any “brilliant” ideas, they are welcome to present it. “We have not taken any decision as yet and are just brainstorming. We will reply in the parliament,” said Moily.
The minister’s comments came after severe criticism from the opposition, with BJP leader Yashwant Sinha saying that the idea will worsen the economic situation. “Why is the government making such suggestions? This will only worsen the situation in the country. I strongly oppose the suggestion,” Sinha said.
The Left Front, too, condemned the decision. “This decision is preposterous. This is like a pre-economic emergency crisis. We condemn this. The government should take oil from Iran,” said Gurudas Dagupta.
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