DPCC campaign outside around 300 petrol pumps in Delhi increase in excise duty & VAT on petrol & diesel.
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New Delhi :
Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Shri Ajay Maken today led the campaign by the Congress workers to collect 10 lakh signatures from consumers outside 300 petrol pumps in Delhi in a three-day campaign from Monday to Wedesday (June 6 to 8) to protest against the huge hike in the prices of petrol and diesel, which Shri Maken termed as the “Modi+Kejriwal Tax” imposed on the people of Delhi through regular hike in the excise duty and VAT. Shri Maken said the 10 lakh signatures thus collected will be presented to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, asking them to roll back the excise duty and VAT, so that petrol and diesel could be sold for much cheaper rates. Shri Ajay Maken joined the Congress workers outside various petrol pumps in Delhi in the signature campaign, and at the end of the first day, the Congress workers had collected around three lakh eighty thousand signatures (3.80 lakh) from consumers. The Congress workers, holding playcards and banners and distributing phamplets to the consumers outside the petrol pumps, enlighted them about the reasons for the huge hike in the prices of petrol and diesel, which has in turn contributed to all-round price rise. Shri Maken the periodic hikes in excise duty and VAT have contributed to the inflated rate of petrol and diesel, and if the Central and Delhi governments rolled back the taxes, then petrol could be sold in Delhi for Rs 38 per litre and diesel for Rs 30 per litre, considering the sharp fall in the prices of crude oil in the international market. Shri Maken said the high rates of petrol and diesel do not justify the lower rate of crude oil in the international market, and due to the hike in the excise duty and VAT by the Modi Government at the Centre and the Kejriwal Government in Delhi, people are unable to derive the benefit the fall in the prices of crude oil in the international market. He said for Rs 100 worth of petrol, people have to shell out Rs 54 to Modiji and Kejriwalji in taxes, despite the crude oil price being only $ 58 per barrell in the international market. Shri Maken said when Congress was in power, and the price of crude oil in the international market was $108 per barrell, consumers had to pay just Rs 31 in taxes for Rs 100 worth of petrol.
Shri Maken said Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal used to make tall talks that there was no need to hike taxes in Delhi, but in his 15-month rule, Kejriwal increased VAT on petrol and diesel twice to put a heavy burden on the people. Shri Maken said due to the constant clashes between the Modi and Kejriwal Governments, there was indeed “jungle raj” in Delhi as no work was being done.
