TRS working President and Minister KT Rama Rao on Wednesday demanded the Union government to reduce the fuel prices after the price of crude oil fell drastically.
In a media note, he lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the BJP Central Government is not taking any steps to reduce the burden on the people of the country. The Modi government’s excuse that international crude oil prices are the reason for the increase in fuel prices has once again proven wrong, remarked Minister KTR.
If the price of a barrel of crude oil decreased to 95 dollars per barrel internationally, the people of the country should be benefitted. However, the Modi Government does not want that to happen. That is why the BJP government is increasing excise duties and cesses, said KTR.
“Since 2014, in these eight years, the Central government under the leadership of Modi has increased fuel prices so many times and looted more than 26 lakh crore rupees from the people in the form of fuel taxes and cesses. The Modi government is exploiting the common people and serving the corporate. As they are too busy serving the interests of the corporates, they do not have any concern towards the sufferings of the poor and the middle classes.” Said KTR.
Before coming to power, PM Modi always used to say that the rise in fuel prices was a failure of the then Central government. Will Modi now admit that he has failed miserably in controlling the rise of fuel prices? KTR asked.
Rao also states that when the Modi government was formed in 2014, the price of a barrel of crude oil was around 110 dollars. By January 2015, it had fallen to 50 dollars and in January 2016 it had fallen to 27 dollars. In 2020, the price of barrel crude oil fell to even 11 dollars due to Covid & lockdown. However, the Modi government has never reduced fuel prices, remarked Minister KTR.
He said that the Union government has been increasing the excise duty when the people of the country are financially devastated due to the covid epidemic. According to an estimate, the Modi government has collected about Rs 14 lakh crores from the people in the form of excise duty and 26 lakh crores of rupees in the form of cesses and taxes, said.
KTR told that the states get very little income from the excise duty increased by the Centre. Modi’s government, with an aim to weaken the states economically, has increased the petrol rates mostly in the form of cesses and not in the form of taxes, he added.
KTR said that if only the Central government lifts the duty levied on fuel, the people will get a relief of around Rs 30 per liter.
KTR expressed his anguish that with the skyrocketing prices, the conditions of the poor and middle class have completely deteriorated. Despite knowing the reality, the Central government did not bother to reduce the fuel prices.
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