Days after petrol price touched an all-time high in Mumbai, the Shiv Sena’s youth wing on Monday put up banners at several petrol pumps in the city targeting the Centre over the rising fuel prices. Taking a dig at the BJP, which coined the slogan 'Acche Din Aane Wale Hain' (good days are about to come) during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the hoardings asked ‘Yahi Hain Acche Din?’ (are these the good days?), The banners also compared the fuel prices in 2015 and 2021, according to which there was a huge difference between the prices of gas, diesel and petrol in both years.
On Monday, the petrol price in Mumbai was Rs 97 per litre while diesel was selling at Rs 88.06 per litre. The opposition parties have been cornering the government over rising fuel prices triggered by lower production in oil-producing nations due to the coronavirus pandemic. On Sunday, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi expressed her “anguish and deep distress regarding the spiralling fuel and gas prices” and accused the government of "profiteering" off "people's misery". In a three-page letter, she urged PM Modi to reduce the prices by partially rolling back excise duty, saying the truth is that as GDP "nosedives", the prices of gas, diesel and petrol continue to rise unchecked. Earlier this month, key functionaries of the ruling Shiv Sena led protests in Mumbai as part of a state-wide campaign against the rising fuel and cooking gas prices. The party has warned it would intensify the protests if the Centre does not take steps to reduce the prices. “The Union government has been looting the common man for months by increasing the fuel prices, this has to stop. Shiv Sena will intensify protests if the Centre does not arrest the price rise,” Sena leader Ashish Chemburkar had said.