Petrol at Rs 100, vaccination at snail pace glaring examples of BJP govt's incompetence: DK Shivakumar

Taking pot-shots at BJP, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar on Saturday asserted that 43 hikes in petrol prices since January this year and vaccination at snail pace evidently show the incompetence of the government on economical and administrative fronts.

"Today price of petrol has breached Rs 100 per litre in many parts of the country. The price of edible oil has also surpassed Rs 220 per litre. Only 3.17 per cent of the Indians have got vaccinated in five months. These are glaring examples of the failure of this government on the economical and administrative front," Shivakumar said at Kutagal Hobli village of Ramanagra district.

The KPCC chief was on a day's visit to Ramanagara to distribute food kits and reach out to people affected by the pandemic.

"Congress is giving free vaccination to people going beyond castes and religions. I kicked off a campaign to vaccinate 3 Lakh people yesterday," Shivakumar said asserting his party is firm with its Rs 100 crore plan to vaccinate the entire state if BJP government permits them to procure and carryout vaccination drive.

He pointed out that BJP hiked petrol prices 10 times in January, 16 times in February, 16 times in May and once in the first week of June.

Claiming that the government is determined to make petrol unaffordable for the common man, he said: "Let us all visit petrol pumps and pay floral tributes to pump machines to mark our protest."

Lauding Congress workers, the KPCC President said that party workers and office-bearers are working overtime to help people at the time of the pandemic.

Former Minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa kicked off a COVID vaccination drive in his constituency at Davangere on Friday. The Congress party has planned to expand the vaccination drive in other parts of the state in the month of June.

The KPCC chief accused the BJP of doing a great disservice to the country by exporting over 6.6 crore vaccines. He alleged the government compromised the health and lives of its own people and thereby increased the mortality rate in the country.

( With inputs from ANI )