Early Times Report
JAMMU, June 20: United Democratic Alliance (UDA) today hit out at the BJP Government at the Centre over the hike in excise duty on fuel products and demanded that the benefit of reduced international crude oil prices should be passed on to the people.
In a statement issued here today, Rajiv Mahajan, Spokesperson of the Alliance, said that the government should reduce the rates of petrol, diesel and LPG by at least 35-40 per cent. He said that UDA will strongly raise the issue to pressurise the government to ensure people’s welfare. “The government on Saturday hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel on the 14th consecutive day as it repeated its 2014-15 act of not passing on gains arising from slump in international oil prices. However, retail prices of petrol and diesel will not be impacted by the tax changes as state-owned oil firms adjusted them against the recent fall in oil prices and the likely trend in the near future,” Mahajan said.
“The Modi-Shah government has looted the people by increasing excise duties and huge taxes on petroleum products and did not bring this under GST,” he added. “The ill-directed anti-people policies of the BJP government are responsible for the high prices of petrol, diesel and LPG despite crude oil consistently remaining down to less than 50 per cent for the last six years,” Mahajan said. International crude oil prices are the lowest in the last 15 years, down to USD 35-38 per barrel, yet petrol and diesel prices are skyrocketing, while the common people, the middle class, the farmers,
the transporters and small and medium businesses are bearing the pain of high oil rates, Mahajan said.
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