Congress wants govt to cut excise duty on petroleum products

The Congress party on Wednesday criticised the central government for the spiralling petroleum prices in the country. The party asked the BJP government at the Centre to immediately cut excise duty to limit the suffering of the common man.

“When the BJP came to power at the Centre, the international crude prices were falling. However, instead of passing on the benefits to the public, the BJP government kept the excise duty on petroleum products increasing and utilised it to fill the government coffers. Now the diesel price has hit a high of Rs 73.69. The price of petrol is at a staggering Rs 81.22. Such high prices are sure to add to the misery of the common people,” Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president S Thirunavukkarasar said in a statement on Wednesday.