BJDs decision not to lower VAT criticised

BHUBANESWAR: The OPCC has castigated the State Government for announcing its inability to reduce VAT on petrol to lessen the burden on people.OPCC general secretary Arjya Kumar Gyanendra said the State Government collects VAT of  Rs 7.61 per litre of petrol. But Finance Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei said the State Government can’t reduce the VAT. This clearly exposes the BJD’s lack of concern for the common man, he said.Criticising the BJD for giving Odisha bandh call on May 31 protesting the petrol price hike, Gyanendra alleged that when the NDA, with BJD as one of its constituents, was in power at the Centre, there was 11 per cent hike in diesel price, 300 per cent in kerosene while LPG price was enhanced by 90 per cent apart from periodic hike in petrol price. But Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik never protested such hikes, he said. The bandh call has been given by the BJD to divert people’s attention from the failures of the State Government, he claimed. Defending the hike in petrol price saying the Centre was forced to take such a step because of increase in its price in  international market, Gyanendra said no government wants to burden the people by increasing prices without a valid reason.  The State Government has failed to take a firm decision to collect cess on mines, but it has no hesitation in imposing VAT on petrol which affects the common man, he said.