Asking the UPA government not to inflict burden on the aam aadmi in the name of aam aadmi,CPM leader Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday sought a rollback of the budgetary hikes,release of extra foodgrain for the public distribution system,withdrawal of concessions to the rich and a ban on futures trading. Speaking during the discussion on price rise in the Rajya Sabha,Yechury said as a result of governments policies,the rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer. You have one phenomenon where the number of billionaires in our country doubles from 26 to 52. the combined asset value of these 52 individuals today is equal to 25 per cent of our GDP, Yechury said,adding that a committee headed by Arjun Sengupta said 77 per cent of Indians live on less than Rs 20 a day. You have an IPL India and you have BPL India. These are the two India in the making, he said clarifying that he was not making any reference to Sharad Pawars cricket chairmanship. Quoting from a written answer by the Petroleum Ministry,Yechury said as per the document the per barrel cost of production of crude oil produced by ONGC last year was US $35.94 per barrel. ONGC sells this to your oil marketing companies for US $55.94. It is making $20 per barrel, he said,adding that if one dollar was equal to Rs 50,the barrel would roughly cost Rs 2,800 and with a barrel having 160 litres,the cost per litre would work out to be Rs 17.50. If you add a rupee for your refining cost,it is Rs 18.50. What are you selling it at in Delhi? You are selling it at Rs 53. This is the cost of production according to the ministers own statistics. It is not going to cost more than Rs 18.50 but your sale price is Rs 53. Okay,you can blame the Finance Ministry and you take out the taxes the ministry has put which is 50 per cent of this. Even then you are selling it at Rs 26 or Rs 27 or Rs 28 when the production is only Rs 18. Whom are we fooling? he said.
