| Staff REPORTER |
ITANAGAR, Jun 29: The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) today demanded an immediate rollback of hike in prices of petrol and diesel by the BJP-led NDA Govt at the Centre. In this regard, the APCC submitted a memorandum to the President of India through the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.
Informing about the party’s countrywide protest against the hike in fuel price, APCC spokesperson Toko Meena while addressing a press conference here at Arunachal Press Club said that due to repeated and unjust increase in the prices as also the excise duty on petrol and diesel during last three months that too amid the COVID-19 induced lockdown has inflicted insurmountable pain and suffering on the people of India.
The country is facing an unprecedented health and economic crisis due to the pandemic, but the Narendra Modi-led BJP Government is profiteering from the misery of the people by repeated increase in prices as well as excise duty on petrol and diesel, she alleged.
Meena claimed that when the BJP assumed power at the Centre in May 2014, excise duty on petrol was Rs 9.20 per litre and on diesel was Rs 3.46 per litre. In the last six years, BJP Govt has increased the excise duty on petrol by an additional Rs 23.78 per litre and on diesel by Rs 28.37 per litre. This is a shocking 820 percentage hike in excise duty on diesel and 258 percent increase in excise duty on petrol.
She also claimed that Modi Govt has earned Rs 18,00,000 crore in last six years by increase in excise duty on petrol and diesel alone.
Since the imposition of lockdown three months ago, the extent of profiteering by repeated increase in prices and excise duty on petrol and diesel has surpassed all forms of exploitation.
On March 5 this year, the prices of petrol and diesel were increased by Rs 3 per litre and it was further increased by Rs 10.48 per litre for diesel and Rs 8.50 per litre for petrol. Since last three and half months alone, BJP Govt has increased excise duty on diesel by Rs 26.48 per litre and on petrol by Rs 21.50 per litre.
Meena also claimed that crude oil prices have actually gone down over the period of last few months. On June 24, crude oil price was Rs 3,280.71 per barrel. And the per litre crude oil price as on 24th June would be Rs 20.68 per litre. As against this price of petrol-diesel is touching Rs 80 per litre, establishing sheer profiteering and continuous hiking of fuel price is the biggest proof of cheating the people of India by the Modi led Govt, she added.
The APCC urged for the immediate rollback of hike in petrol-diesel prices and the increased excise duty post 5th March, 2020 and pass this benefit on to the people of India in these difficult times.
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