Amidst the soaring fuel prices burning holes in common man’s pockets, the Congress-led Punjab Government may provide some relief. For, the Government has decided to reduce the value added tax (VAT) on diesel and petrol by one percent.
The decision, expected to bring down the prices of petrol and diesel by Re one, is expected to be announced anytime soon.
It has been learnt that the decision has been taken by the party high command ahead the national bandh call, organized by the All Indian Congress Committee (AICC), against the soaring price of fuel in the country on Monday.
To give more credence to its nationwide protest, the Congress high command has asked the governments of Punjab and Karnataka — the two states where Congress has its governments — to provide relief to the people so that the BJP-led Central Government will be given a major blow over the issue.
Punjab Congress president Suni Jakhar, declaring that the state party unit would participate in bandh call with peaceful manner, lashed out at the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.
“When the Congress government was at the Centre, Dr Manmohan Singh government had provided cheapest diesel and petrol to the citizens of the country even by purchasing expensive crude oil from abroad. But, the Modi government is selling expensive diesel by buying cheap crude oil since last four years,” said Jakhar.
Jakhar said that the increase of minimum support price (MSP) by the Union Government even could not match the extra cost of crop production due to hike in diesel prices since the previous year.