High prices at the pump affect everyone, not just vehicle owners and transporters. The price of the fuel is added on to whatever we buy and ultimately everyone ends up paying more. So fuel price hikes impact everyone, even the poorest of the poor. What is strange is, however, that few have spoken out against the sky-rocketing prices of petrol and diesel. Now that the ever-topical Amul has done so, others have joined in as well:
The Amul girl doesn’t look very happy while filling petrol in the car tank. Evidently, it is painful painfuel.
The Amul girl is always topical and always manages to say something relevant in a humorous way even when times are tough.
In the past as well, Amul has commented on high fuel prices.
There were other such illustrations that Amul had made on the issue of fuel prices.
Seen here is a screengrab of a tweet from 2011 – back when popular TV anchors still dared to criticise government policies that were seen to hurt the common people.
People also pointed out that the prices of LPG have climbed sharply in recent times.
In the past, the consumer was angry, now she is fearful. One wonders why.
The tweeple pointed out that we are paying more at the pump in spite of crude oil prices being relatively low and that owes itself to the tax structure.
People see Amul’s creative as ‘courageous’ given the fact that this dispensation is seen to be particularly criticism-averse.
In recent times we have seen how anyone who questions government policy or criticises it, is mysteriously raided by some or other agency.
Publications such as NDTV in the past and more recently News Click, who are seen to be critical of the government suffer raids and other forms of prosecution. However pro-government media houses are found to be wholly honest and undeserving of such treatment.
This cartoon caricatures the government’s habit of blaming previous governments for all of the nation's problems. It also points out how this is not possible now since the previous government was the same as the current one.
This cartoon also takes a potshot at fuel prices being so high that people will try other alternatives to using their own vehicles and even risk fines.
The tweeple also pointed out that while prior to 2014, we had a functioning, vocal opposition, these days the opposition seemed silent, ineffectual and directionless.
It was also pointed out that this government and its supporters had sharply pilloried the pre-2014 government for high prices while now various excuses are put forth for the same.
In recent times we have seen that there are calls for boycott against anything or anyone that is seen to offend. And there are many who take offence on behalf of those in power.
These days everything seems to link back to the wildly viral ‘pawri’ video and this tweet replied to Amul’s cartoon about petrol prices like this.
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