A large number of Delhi Congress workers today formed a human chain from Mandi House to Parliament Street, protesting the high taxes imposed on petrol and diesel resulting in increased prices of the fuels.
The Congress will continue with the people's fight till the prices of petrol and diesel are reduced, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said.
"If the Modi-Kejriwal tax is removed from petrol and diesel, then petrol can be sold in Delhi for Rs 34 per litre while the price of diesel will come down to Rs 32 per litre," he said.
The excise duty and VAT on petrol and diesel have been increased many times in the past three and half years, resulting in an "all time high" in their prices in Delhi, Maken claimed.
"The excise duty on petrol and diesel was increased by the Modi government 11 times while the Kejriwal government made amendments in the law to increase VAT on them twice," he said.
Maken claimed that petrol and diesel worth Rs 100 included Rs 51.78 and Rs 44.40 as taxes.
He said increase in the prices of petrol and diesel has affected the transport sector, having a cascading effect on the prices of all essential commodities and making them beyond the reach of the common people.
In the last few days, protests were staged by the party workers and leaders at petrol pumps across the city and signatures were collected from the people in protest against high prices of petrol and diesel.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)