Congress: Stop fooling people, petrol cut by 9, then to 10 in 60 days

“Nation doesn’t need jugglery of figures to dupe the people, no jumlas. Nation needs rollback of excise on petrol and diesel says Congress.

The Congres says India needs rollback of excise on petrol and diesel to May 2014 levels,” as tweeted by Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.  He said the petrol price was cut by Rs 9 right now but was increased by Rs 10 in 60 days which was duping the people.

The Congress on Saturday (May 21) accused Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of “befooling” people after she announced an excise duty cut on petrol and diesel and said people needed relief instead of a ”jugglery of figures”. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the government had increased the excise duty on petrol by Rs 10 in 60 days and is now “duping” people by reducing it by Rs 9.50. The opposition party demanded that the finance minister show courage and roll back excise on petrol and diesel to the level it was under the UPA in May 2014.

Surjewala said, “Dear FM … In 60 days, you increased the price of petrol by Rs 10/litre and now reduced it by Rs 9.50/litre. … U increased the price of Diesel by Rs 10/litre and now reduced it by Rs 7/litre. Stop befooling people!

Ashok Gehlot of Congress said, ‘Raise Rs 10 per litre in 2 months and cut Rs 9.50 per litre on petrol’.  Congress has been launching nationwide protests against price hikes on fuel over the last few years.

P Chidambaram said the center had to reduce the excise duty under the pressure of the Congress party’s campaign.

The BJP announced that petrol gets cheaper by Rs 9.5 per litre and diesel by Rs 7 as the Centre cuts excise duty.  Prices of petrol have been reduced by 9 rupees 50 paise per litre and diesel by 7 rupees per litre across the country. The move comes after the government reduced the Central excise duty on Petrol by 8 rupees per litre and on diesel by 6 rupees per litre yesterday.

People once again see this reduction on the eve of elections and predict the government will hike up the rates once the elections are over.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Announcements

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made the announcement yesterday evening in a series of tweets. Besides the fuel reduction, she also announced that this year, the government will give a subsidy of 200 rupees per gas cylinder up to 12 cylinders to over 9 crore beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. This will have a revenue implication of around 6100 crore rupees a year.

The government is also reducing the customs duty on raw materials and intermediaries for plastic products where the country’s import dependence is high. This will result in a reduction of the cost of final products.

Ms Sitharaman said similarly, that the customs duty is being calibrated on raw materials and intermediaries for iron and steel to reduce their prices. Import duty on some raw materials of steel will be reduced.

Export duty on some steel products will be levied. She said measures are being taken up to improve the availability of Cement and through better logistics to reduce the cost of cement.

She said the world is going through difficult times due to COVID and Ukraine conflict has brought in supply chain problems and shortages of various goods. This has resulted in inflation and economic distress in a lot of countries. But despite the adverse economic conditions, the Narendra Modi government is committed to guaranteeing that prices of essential items are kept under control.

She emphasised that the government is devoted to the welfare of the poor and has taken a number of steps to help the poor and middle class. She said that as a result of these initiatives, the average inflation during this government’s tenure has remained lower than during previous governments.

The Minister said even a few developed countries could not escape some shortages and disruptions but asserted government has ensured that there is no shortage of essential goods.

She said even during the pandemic, the NDA government set a paradigm of welfare, especially with PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. She added that this is now acknowledged and appreciated the world over.

Despite rising fertilizer prices globally, the Minister highlighted that the government has protected farmers from such price hikes. In addition to the fertilizer subsidy of 1.05 lakh crore rupees in the budget, an additional amount of 1.10 lakh crore rupees is being provided to further cushion the country’s farmers.

Ms Sitharaman stated that Prime Minister Modi has specifically asked all arms of the government to work with sensitivity and give relief to the common man.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that financial decisions, especially the one relating to a significant drop in petrol and diesel prices will positively impact various sectors. In a tweet, Mr Modi said, it will provide relief to our citizens and further ‘Ease of Living.

Lauded by BJP Leaders

Mr. J P Nadda has praised the government’s decision to slash the excise duty on petrol and diesel. He said it shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to the welfare of the common man.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the Central excise duty cut on Petrol and Diesel is a major step towards easing prices. He said gas cylinder subsidy to over 9 crores Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries will bring a smile to the faces of our mothers and sisters.

Confederation of All India Traders, CAIT has greeted the Central government’s decision of reducing the prices of petrol and diesel. Talking to AIR News, CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said that with the reduction in fuel prices the transportation cost will come down and the manufacturers should also cut the prices of various commodities.