Ahmedabad/Rajkot: Congress politicians in the state of Gujarat has called on the general public of the region to make Bharat Bandh on Monday a grand success and accused the center of increasing excise duty on petrol and diesel twelve times which resulted in the sharp rise in their prices.

Congress leaders accused the BJP led Union government usurping Rs. 11 lakh crore from the general public by increasing taxes on fuel and not including petrol and diesel under GST. The accusation was made by Sushil Kumar Shinde, Rajiv Satav and Amit Chavda in two separate press conferences held in Rajkot and Ahmedabad.

During the press conference, former union minister Sushil Kumar Shinde criticized the NDA government over the recent rise in fuel prices and blamed them for maintaining stubborn stand over it.

“Fuel prices can be reduced if the government includes it under GST. The government has earned over Rs. 11 lakh crore through taxation on fuel,” Mr. Shinde said.

He asserted that about twelve countries were importing petrol and diesel at very cheap rates compared to India, but people in the country are being subjected to suffer due to the constant price increase.

“The government has the power to reduce prices. It appears the government lacks coordination with oil companies which has resulted in the rise in prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas on a daily basis,” Mr. Shinde claimed.

The Congress called on the general public to join in with a huge majority to support the shutdown. Congress party’s in charges in Gujarat, Rajiv Satav and state president Amit Chavda said in a joint press conference that despite there being a decline in international crude oil prices, the Narendra Modi government continued to impose excise duty resulting in the rise in the prices in the domestic market.

“Since May 2014, excise duty on petrol has gone up by 211.7 percent, on diesel by 443.06 percent. Central excise duty was revised upwards 12 times,” Mr. Satav said.

“Congress president Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly demanded that petrol and diesel be included in GST as this could reduce the price by Rs. 10-15 per liter,” he said.

Mr. Chavda directed party workers to make it sure that the band goes on in a peaceful manner while requesting all sections of society to support it.

Apart from that, he also called on small businessmen and shopkeepers to keep their shops closed till 3 pm Monday to make the bandh a grand success.

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