Opposition Denounces Govt's Move To Reduce Excise Duty On Fuel, Says PM Has Done No Miracle

Asserting the “public is suffering from inflation”, the Congress leader said the government is not at all concerned.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. (Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: With the Centre slashing the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 8 and Rs 6 per litre respectively as steps up to curb inflation, the Congress on Saturday launched a vitriolic attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that he has not done any wonders with this move but deceived the people of this country. “The price of petrol has been reduced by Rs 9.50 after increasing it by Rs 10 in the last 60 days, while price of petrol has been reduced by Rs 7 after increasing it by Rs 10,” said Congress spokesperson Pranav Jha.

Asserting the “public is suffering from inflation”, the Congress leader said the government is not at all concerned.

Another Congress spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed echoed similar sentiments and said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has “no mercy on the people of India”.

“The price of domestic LPG cylinders is hiked by Rs. 3.50 & commercial cylinders by Rs 8. In Delhi, LPG used to cost Rs 414/cylinder in May 2014 under UPA & it now costs Rs 1003. Even when inflation is at its highest in decades, the BJP govt has no mercy on the people of India!” she tweeted.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar on his part said “it’s better than nothing”, ANI reported.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Krishan also hit out at the Centre while highlighting that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao-led government has never increased VAT in the last seven years.

“From 2015 BJP has increased 300% , from 9 to 33 CESS , now they have reduced only Rs.8 on Petrol In last 7 Years Government of Telangana never increased VAT, does that make sense for you to ask to reduce, Please bring back your CESS to Rs.9 @nsitharaman ji,” he wrote on the micro-blogging platform.

Earlier in the day, the government reduced the central excise duty on petrol by Rs 8 per litre and on diesel by Rs 6 per litre.

This will reduce the price of petrol by Rs 9.5 per litre and of diesel by Rs 7 per litre.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who announced this in a series of tweets, said it will have revenue implication of around Rs one lakh crore per year for the government.

“We are reducing the Central excise duty on Petrol by ₹ 8 per litre and on Diesel by ₹ 6 per litre. This will reduce the price of petrol by ₹ 9.5 per litre and of Diesel by ₹ 7 per litre. It will have revenue implication of around ₹ 1 lakh crore/year for the government,” she said in a series of tweets.

Sitharaman exhorted all the state governments to also implement a similar cut and give relief to the common man.

“I wish to exhort all state governments, especially the states where reduction wasn’t done during the last round (November 2021), to also implement a similar cut and give relief to the common man,” she tweeted.

Sitharaman further said Prime Minister Modi has asked all arms of the government to “work with sensitivity and give relief to the common man”.

“@PMOIndia has specifically asked all arms of the government to work with sensitivity and give relief to the common man. Keeping in line with @PMOIndia @narendramodi’s commitment to help the poor & common man, TODAY, we are announcing more steps to help our people,” she said in a series of tweets.