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Rahul hits out at Centre over hikes in fuel prices for ninth day in a row
Gandhi also used a graph to show that prices of petrol and diesel were low in May 2014 under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government despite high crude costs globally.
A day after his party demanded that the benefit of reduced international crude oil prices should be passed on to consumers and the rates of petrol, diesel and LPG be reduced to August 2004 levels, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday attacked the government over the recent price hikes.
“Middle class and the poor pay for the gifts crony capitalists get,” Gandhi tweeted.
Gandhi also used a graph to show that prices of petrol and diesel were low in May 2014 under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government despite high crude costs globally.
The graph also showed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government raised the excise duty on petrol 258.47% and on diesel 819.94% by June 15 this year.
It said that on May 16, 2014, when the UPA was in power, the international crude oil price was $107.09 a barrel, while it was $40.66 on June 15 this year. Despite crude oil costing $66.43 less per barrel, petrol and diesel prices were higher than what they were in 2014, the graph showed.
Gandhi’s attack came on a day oil companies raised petrol and diesel prices by 48 paise a litre and diesel by 23 paise a litre. This was the ninth daily increase in rates in a row since oil companies on June 7 restarted revising prices in line with costs.
Apart from demanding that petrol and diesel be brought under the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Congress also sought a roll-back of excise duty hikes to bring down fuel prices.
Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has called for a nationwide protest on Tuesday against the Centre over the hike in fuel prices when the country is confronting the Covid-19 crisis.
In another tweet, Gandhi used a quote by physicist Albert Einstein to take a swipe at the government, saying the only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance.
Gandhi shared another graph that showed how the four phases of lockdown flattened the curve of economic growth, instead of Covid-19 deaths, which are rising in the country.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Gopal Agarwal said the government has been working for the benefit of the lower strata of the population, through various beneficial schemes like Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna etc. and also supporting economic revival through economic package Aatma Nirbahr Bharat for more then 20 lakh crore. “Over the years or during the current pandemic Modi government has successively reduced direct and indirect taxes. If the global oil prices have fallen, the logical step is to generate revenue, both at the Centre and the State level for the benefit of the common men, that’s what we are doing. As for Crony capitalist from the UPA era are concerned, they are paying through their nose, rest assured every pie will be recovered.”
