Delhi Congress on Tuesday announced to create a human chain on September 21 from Mandi House crossing to Parliament Street to make people aware of the all-time high prices of petrol and diesel due to the hike in excise duty and VAT. Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken said that the party will protest in a peaceful manner without disturbing traffic. “Thousands of the Congress workers from all the 14 districts of Delhi, carrying placards and banners will be stationed at their designated slots from Mandi House to Parliament Street to register their protest against the unprecedented rise in the prices of petrol and diesel,” he said.
Maken said in the last three-and-half-years, the Modi Government at the Centre and the Kejriwal Government in Delhi has hiked the taxes on petrol and diesel, resulting in price rise of essential products.
“The Central Government has increased excise duty on petrol and diesel 11 times in the last three-and-half-years while the Kejriwal Government in Delhi made amendments in the law to increase VAT on petrol and diesel twice,” he said.
He further said that due to the increase in the excise duty from May 2014, excise duty on petrol went up by 133.47 percent while the excise duty on diesel went up by 400.86 per cent. “In the same manner, AAP Government made amendments in the law to hike VAT on petrol and diesel twice, taking petrol prices went up by 73.34 per cent while VAT on diesel went up by 91.31 per cent.
Clamming tremendous support received from the public, Maken said three-day campaign to collect 10 lakh signatures across petrol pumps against soaring prices of petroleum products, Maken said that the signatures will be submitted to the Delhi Government and the Prime Minister.
“It is very surprising to note that countries like Sri lanka who import petrol and diesel from India sell these products in their country at a lesser rate that of in India because they do not impose unnecessary taxes on these products,” Maken said.
Maken was accompanied by chief spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee, ex-MlA Mukesh Sharma, Puja Bahri, spokesperson and senior leader Chattar Singh.