New Delhi, Jun 29 (UNI) Urging the Modi Government to immediately roll back fuel price hikes, Congress on Monday demanded that petrol and diesel be brought under the GST.
Addressing a digital press conference here, AICC spokesperson Khushboo Sundar said, 'As the country faces an unprecedented health and economic pandemic, Modi government is profiting from the misery of the people by repeated increase in price and excise duty on petrol and diesel.'
She said, 'The repeated and unjust increase in the prices as also the Central Excise Duty on petrol and diesel over the last three months of the lockdown has inflicted insurmountable pain and suffering on the people of India.'
The AICC spokesperson said, ' We urge the Modi Government to immediately roll back petrol-diesel prices and excise duty hike post 5th March and pass on this benefit to the people of India in these difficult times.'
She said the Congress Party demands that benefit of reduced international crude oil prices should be passed on to the people and rates of petrol-diesel-LPG gas be reduced.
Petrol and diesel should be brought under the GST, the Congress spokesperson said.
'Price of crude oil today is US$ 41.70/barrel. Per litre crude oil price today would be Rs 19.80/litre. Instead, price of petrol-diesel has crossed Rs 80/litre establishing sheer profiteering and fleecing of people of India by Modi government,' she said.
'From 7th June to 29th June, the heartless Modi Government has consecutively increased the prices of petrol and diesel 22 times in last 23 days leading to a further increase of Rs 11.14 per litre for diesel and Rs 9.17 per litre for petrol,' the AICC spokesperson said.
'Since the lockdown three months ago, the extent of extortion and profiteering by repeated increases in prices and Excise Duty on petrol and diesel has surpassed all forms of exploitation,' she said.
'Modi Government has earned Rs 18,00,000 crore in last six years by increase in excise duty on petrol and diesel alone,' the AICC spokesperson said.
In May 2014, when BJP came to power, excise duty was Rs 9.20/litre on petrol and Rs 3.46/litre on diesel, she said.
'In last 6 years, government has hiked excise duty on petrol by Rs 23.78/litre and on diesel by Rs 28.37/litre. 820 per cent hike in excise duty on diesel and 258 per cent hike in excise duty on petrol,'
the AICC spokesperson said.
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