Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 2: Peeved over the sharp rise in prices of petrol, diesel and gas besides other essential commodities during the last four years of the BJP regime, a large number of Panthers Party activists spearheaded by its chairman Harsh Dev Singh and Yash Paul Kundal State president of Young Panthers staged a strong protest demonstration at Exhibition Ground here today. Click here to watch video
The agitated protesters amid raising anti-BJP slogans torched its effigy to express their resentment over the current inflation in the country which had broken the back of the common masses.
Describing India’s petrol and diesel prices costliest in Southeast Asia, Harsh Dev divulged that while the international prices of crude oil had fallen sharply from an annual average of $105 per barrel in 2013-14 to $ 55 in 2017-18, the Centre had hiked Excise Duty on petrol and diesel over ten times. He further said that at the time when GST had been introduced to rationalise indirect taxes in the country, it was indeed hypocritical to keep petro-products outside the GST ambit in order to raise additional Central revenues.
“The retail prices of diesel and petrol in June 2018 had surpassed the levels prevailing in June 2014 when the Narendra Modi Government had just been sworn into office. If the petrol at Rs 80 per litre on an average was brought under the new tax regime, it would cost as little as Rs 46 per litre at 12% GST rate. Couple of days ago, by cutting the price of petrol by one paisa, the Government had amazed the entire country by making a contemptuous mockery of the people”, Harsh Dev said.
NPP leader regretted that collection of exorbitant Excise Duty over Rs 2.5 lakh crores annually from diesel and petrol had become a new normal which was like looting people. Referring to the price rise of domestic gas in the country on a frequent basis, Singh said that with the petrol and diesel becoming dearer, the price rise of other petroleum products like domestic LPG cylinders had also added to the woes of the end consumers. He added that with the price rise of non -subsidized LPG cylinder by nearly Rs 50 on June 1st, it had recorded the steepest increase in six years. The price of LPG touching Rs 760.50 per cylinder in the State has become an issue of serious concern, Harsh rued.
Rajesh Padgotra, Gagan Partap Singh, Shanker Singh Chib, Sham Gorkha, Khajoor Singh, Nirmal Kishore and Rajesh Gondhi also accompanied.
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