Though the price of crude oil has witnessed a decrease in the international market in the past 3-4 days, the Centre hasn’t reduced the retail prices in accordance with it
Prasanna Acharya, BJD vice-president
The Centre has been repeatedly suggesting that the state government should agree on including petrol and diesel under GST ambit. But, the state is not doing so
Dilip Mohanty, BJP leader
Bhubaneswar: The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Thursday urged the President of India to direct the Union government for lowering the central excise duty on petrol and diesel.
A delegation of the party, Thursday, knocked at the doors of the new Governor and submitted a memorandum addressed to the President demanding cut in excise duty levied on petrol and diesel by the Centre.
“Today we submitted a memorandum to the President through Governor on behalf of the aggrieved people of Odisha. We’ve appealed to the President to exert his influence on the Government of India and advise it to slash the excise duty levied on petrol and diesel,” said BJD vice-president Prasanna Acharya, who was leading the delegation.
Since the day Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA government started ruling India, the retail prices of petrol and diesel have been constantly increasing and now it is testing the patience of the citizens, he added.
“Though the price of crude oil has witnessed a decrease in the international market in these 3-4 days, the Centre hasn’t reduced the retail prices in accordance with it. It’s sheer injustice”, the BJD leader alleged.
“The excise duty on petrol and diesel has increased by 126 and 330 per cent respectively since the NDA came to power, leading to significant rise in retail prices,” the party said in its memo.
Defending the Modi government, BJP spokesperson Dilip Mohanty said, “The Centre has been repeatedly suggesting that the state government should agree on including petrol and diesel under GST ambit. But, the state is not suggesting it.”
Questioning the state government over its intent, Mohanty said, “What problem would our state government face if petrol and diesel were brought under GST?”
Even, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has already proposed that petrol and diesel should be included in GST, he pointed out. The inclusion issue will be decided at the GST Council and the states should give their unanimous nod, Mohanty added. From day one, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been batting for inclusion of the fuels in GST, he said.
Though the price of crude oil has witnessed a decrease in the international market in the past 3-4 days, the Centre hasn’t reduced the retail prices in accordance with it
Prasanna Acharya, BJD vice-president
The Centre has been repeatedly suggesting that the state government should agree on including petrol and diesel under GST ambit. But, the state is not doing so
Dilip Mohanty, BJP leader
