The government raises petrol prices by 3.5 rupees/litre and decides to make them market-determined. Diesel gets costlier by 2 rupees/litre and cooking gas by 35 rupees a cylinder.
Reuters spoke to people in the streets of New Delhi to get their reaction.
PANKAJ (senior manufacturing analyst, GM motors)
ANUBHAV SRIVASTAVA (member, RTI foundation)
DISHITA (freelancer at an ad agency)
GAURAV (a student)
(Flip cam videos by Rohan Dua)
You could be forgiven for thinking that the civilian nuclear deal with the United States is all about whether India holds early elections or not.
Every newspaper is speculating if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has staked his personal reputation on the deal, will resign to disassociate himself from an administration that failed to save a pact keenly watched by the world.
But are these the arguments India should be debating in the short-term or should we be discussing the real benefits and drawbacks of the deal?
Fed by a sensation-hungry media, India’s politicians got another chance to flex their nationalist muscles and bash the United States over the weekend.
The object of their ire was none other than George W. Bush, who was reported as having blamed India for rising global food prices.
“A cruel joke,” said Defence Minister A.K. Antony. The United States appeared to believe “the rest of the world should starve”, the CPM was reported as having said.
