Protesting against the VAT hike made by Chhattisgarh government in petrol and diesel prices, the city unit of Chhattisgarh Congress staged a protest on Saturday.
The Congress members who had taken out rally from party headquarters ‘Congress Bhawan’ to stage gherao of the official residence of Commercial Tax Minister Amar Agrawal but
the protesters were stopped and arrested at barricades erected by police in front of Raipur Municipal Corporation office. They were later released, police said.
City Congress president Vikas Upadhyay who led the protest claimed that despite global slowdown in prices of petroleum products, petrol and diesel are being sold on higher rates in Chhattisgarh.
“While UPA was in power, the price of crude oil had reached $120 to $135 dollars per barrel due to which the rates of petrol and diesel had touched `70 and `65 per litre. However, Modi Government despite fall of petroleum prices has marginally decreased the petrol-diesel prices. In addition to it the Raman Government has raised VAT of `2 and `1 in Chhattisgarh,” he alleged.