New Delhi: The Congress party is preparing to launch country-wide protests in cooperation from other parties over the rising fuel prices and falling rupee and accused the ruling BJP-led coalition government of carrying on “economic terror on the nation.”
Sources in the party said that the party had not decided the date for the protests and might take a decision in this regard on September 6 after a meeting is held with the party general secretaries and state unit chiefs.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said, “In June 2008, the petrol price was raised from Rs. 45.52 to Rs. 50.52 and the price of diesel from Rs. 34.76 to 37.76 (during UPA government). That time the crude price was $138.54 per barrel. In July 2008, the price of crude oil went up to $145 per barrel,” he added.
“When we increased the price of petrol by Rs. 5 and that of diesel by Rs. 3, a BJP spokesperson had charged UPA government with unleashing economic terror,” he said.
“Today, when the crude price is almost $70 per barrel and the petrol price is Rs. 78 per litre in Delhi, I want to ask the government if it is not economic terror,” he added.
“A nation-wide agitation on this will definitely take place. Considering the current crude oil prices, the petrol price should be about Rs. 39 a litre and diesel Rs. 37.50, including all taxes,” he added.
“If fuel prices are not reduced, Congress will take to the streets to launch a nationwide agitation from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. A meeting was called today to plan the strategy,” Mr. Tewari added.
There has been a series of hikes in rates of fossil fuel for some time now as it gets updated on daily basis. And now the rates of petrol and diesel are all-time high with no hope for going down.
Many times there have been demands from the public as well as many political parties to bring the rates of fuels under GST by leaving aside VAT and other taxes. Some even went on to protest in this regard but of no use.
Currently, the government at the center levies excise duty tax and other tax and the state government applies VAT resulting in the increase of prices of the fossil fuel to many times. The price increase in fuels results in the increase of many other products due to the transportation cost involved.
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