New Delhi: The Congress today demanded that petrol and diesel be brought under the Goods and Service Tax (GST) regime, and accused the Modi government of "betraying" the trust of the common people and "miserably failing" to curtail rise in fuel prices.
Senior Congress leader P Chidamabaram dubbed the BJP government as "anti-poor" and "anti-middle class" as these sections have to bear the burden of high fuel prices. He also alleged that the BJP government believed in "cruel taxation" and "imprudent borrowing".
Noting that crude oil price had fallen from USD 108 in May 2014 to USD 77 in April 2018, the former finance minister asked, "Why are petrol and diesel prices today higher than prices in May 2014?" "The BJP government is anti-poor and anti-middle class. These are the sections that have to bear the burden of high petrol and diesel prices.
"BJP government believes in two things (1) Cruel Taxation and (2) Imprudent Borrowing. Thank god this is the last year of the present government," he said in a series of tweets. Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said the Modi government was "unmoved" and "unresponsive" to the pain of the common people suffering the brunt of high oil prices.
"The Narendra Modi government has betrayed the trust that the common people had bestowed on it. It has miserably failed to curtail the rise in fuel prices and busy filling the treasury coffers at the expense of the ordinary citizens. We have demanded in the past and we again reiterate our demand that petrol and diesel must be brought under the GST," he said in a statement. Surjewala said while diesel prices are at an all-time high, petrol price is the highest since Modi came to power, "but Modi government is 'unmoved, unresponsive, unhearable and now unbearable'!"
He said the BJP's pre-election slogans have now become a "cruel joke" on common people. The Congress leader said with diesel price shooting up directly impacts food inflation as the lifeline of farmers is at a historic high and petrol's continuous rise burns holes in the pockets of people.
"Narendra Modi's previous tweets on petrol and diesel prices now mock us in the face and serve as a constant reminder that one should never trust the BJP and its tall promises. Only one year is left, and people of India will definitely vote this Government out!" he said.
He also accused the BJP of profiteering at the cost of common people, alleging that while international crude oil prices have come down by more than 30 percent, the BJP government has earned a windfall of Rs 7.35 lakh crore by levying various central taxes on petrol and diesel.
"Where has the money gone? Instead of passing the benefit to ordinary Indians, they got brutally taxed by BJP," he said.
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