The Congress, which is sharing power with the Shiv Sena and NCP, on Thursday, took out a bicycle rally in the city and rest of the state to protest against the rise in fuel prices and the BJP-led government’s inaction. The state unit chief, Nana Patole, accompanied by some ministers, city party chief Bhai Jagtap and office bearers, met with Governor B S Koshyari and submitted a memorandum, alleging that the Modi government was passing the buck on states instead of taking measures, including cut in petrol and diesel taxes in a bid to provide a much-needed relief to the common man.
The Congress also blamed the Centre for burgeoning prices of cooking gas, pulses and inflation, saying it has completely devastated the common man and deteriorated their finances.
Patole said the Centre must reduce the tax instead of asking the states to cut it on fuel. “Despite low crude oil prices in the international market, petrol, diesel and gas prices in India are rising every day. People are suffering due to the wrong economic policies of the Modi government,” he said.
Patole, who was accompanied by revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat, said the Centre is making huge profits through excise duty on fuel, road development cess and agricultural cess. The state government does not get a single rupee from this. In the last seven years, the Modi government has made a profit of Rs 25 lakh crore from fuel taxes.
