BJP, Opposition clash over fuel excise duty cuts

The BJP and the Opposition on Friday traded charges over the Centre’s decision to cut excise duty on petrol and diesel.  While the ruling party said the move will provide major relief to the citizens, the Opposition termed the reduction in duty a “late move” taken with the upcoming elections in West Bengal, Assam, and other states in mind.

Defending the decision, the BJP launched a sharp attack on the Opposition over its “misleading campaign.” The ruling party MP Anurag Thakur targeted the Congress, alleging that while the Narendra Modi Government has reduced the burden on citizens, the Congress-ruled states have taken steps to increase it.

“First of all, we express our gratitude to the prime minister for the historic decision to reduce excise duty on petrol and diesel. At a time when fuel prices have risen sharply across the world, India is perhaps the only country that has reduced excise duty and directly benefited 140 crore citizens,” Thakur told reporters in the Parliament House complex. He claimed that Congress has a history of increasing taxes on fuel in states ruled by it.

Drawing a comparison, Thakur said the BJP-led Centre reduced excise duty by Rs 10 per litre on petrol and diesel, while Congress governments in states were moving in the opposite direction.

He also charged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with spreading misleading narratives on fuel prices and said such statements were aimed at creating confusion among the public.

BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi cited the global energy situation to defend the Centre’s decision, saying the Government has acted with sensitivity in a difficult environment.  Referring to Ram Navami, he said the decision reflected the principle of making essential items affordable.

Meanwhile, BJP’s ally Shiv Sena also supported the Centre’s decision to cut excise duty on petroleum products, describing it as a “citizen-centric move” that will provide relief to people amid rising global fuel prices.

In a social media post, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde said at a time when fuel prices are increasing worldwide due to tensions in West Asia, the Centre has prioritised the interests of citizens.

The Opposition in its criticism termed the Centre’s excise cuts on fuel a “late move” taken with the upcoming elections in West Bengal, Assam, and other states in mind.

The Opposition also termed the Centre’s initiative to hold a meeting with chief ministers on the West Asia conflict a delayed act, and stressed that wider consultations should have taken place earlier in the crisis.

The Congress claimed that the government’s excise cuts on petrol and diesel were due to assembly elections and pointed out that consumer prices in India were not reduced even when global crude oil prices fell on seven different occasions in the past 12 years. 

Congress general secretary in-charge communications, Jairam Ramesh, said, “When global crude oil prices fell as they did on seven different occasions in the past 12 years, consumer prices in India were not reduced.”

“Today’s announcement was because of the assembly elections. Wait till April 30th,” he said.

Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry will be held on a single day on April 9, in Tamil Nadu on April 23, and in two phases in West Bengal on April 23 and 29, while votes will be counted for all polls on May 4.

TMC MP Sagarika Ghose criticised the Government for “reactive” policymaking and questioned the timing of the decision. Congress MP Tariq Anwar said the Government should have acted earlier. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also claimed that the timing of the excise duty cut was linked to elections.