Sivakasi MLA G. Ashokan said on June 11, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that came to power criticising the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in the Centre for high fuel price, was now fleecing the common man with exorbitant price of petrol and diesel despite decline in international crude oil price.
After staging a protest in front of a petrol bunk in Sivakasi, the Congress MLA said, “When crude oil price was $130 a barrel, under the UPA regime, the price of petrol and diesel was ₹71 and ₹58 per litre respectively. However, under the BJP rule, the price of petrol rose to ₹85 a litre when the crude oil price was $30 and has now touched ₹100 a litre when it is just $55.”
“The Manmohan Singh government taxed the affluent through direct taxes and spared the poor by keeping indirect taxes at a lower rate. But, the Narendra Modi government is doing the opposite,” Mr. Ashokan said.
“Excise duty on fuel has increased at least three times in the last seven years, putting the poor and middle classes to untold suffering.” After fleecing the poor through indirect taxes, the Centre was not ready to pay for their vaccines, he charged.
“Mr. Modi, in whose name a cricket stadium was inaugurated, has also hit a century by increasing the petrol price to over ₹100 a litre,” he said.