‘Lies, deflection, step-motherly treatment’: Oppn-ruled states respond after PM Modi flags high fuel prices
India Today
After PM Modi appealed to Opposition-ruled states to reduce taxes on fuel on Wednesday, they have responded by accusing the Centre of trying to deflect criticism on the issue of spike in fuel prices.
In his first statement on rising fuel prices in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took aim at Opposition-ruled states during a meeting on Wednesday afternoon and asked them to reduce taxes.
PM Modi said that states like Karnataka and Gujarat reduced Value Added Tax on fuel and passed on the benefits to people, despite the move hurting their treasuries. He added, "However, states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Telangana, Maharashtra, Kerala and Jharkhand did not reduce tax on fuel, and should do it now."
"It has become imperative to increase the coordination between the Centre and the states and uphold the values of cooperative federalism," PM Modi said.
The Opposition-ruled state governments have not taken very kindly to PM Modi's remarks during the Covid-19 review meet on Wednesday. They have accused him of lying to 'cover his failures', treating non-BJP states with a 'step-mother attitude' and attempting to deflect criticism targeted at the central government.
Here is how different state governments have responded:
KT Rama Rao, Telangana minister and working president of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi, took to Twitter to allege that fuel prices had shot up because of the central government.
He wrote, "Name-calling states for not reducing VAT even though we never increased it - is this the co-operative federalism you're talking about Narendra Modi ji? Telangana hasn't increased VAT on fuel since 2014 and rounded off only once."
