Opposition criticises fuel price hike, terms it anti-people

Opposition parties criticize State government for increasing sales tax on petrol and diesel, impacting common man and essential commodities.

Opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), have criticised the State government’s move to increase the sales tax on petrol and diesel as anti-people on Saturday, June 15.

Former BJP State president Nalin Kumar Kateel, in a statement, said the Congress government has again proved that it is anti-people by hiking the tax rates that resulted in the increase of fuel prices. He alleged that the State coffers have become empty by the unscientific guarantee schemes and the corruption of the Ministers.

Mr. Kateel said the Congress has increased whatever fee that was possible, including the electricity and registration thereby severely impacting the common man. With the present hike in petrol and diesel prices, essential commodities would cost more because of the increased transportation cost. With the law and order situation in the State too being affected, people have no let up in the Congress government, he said.

Condemning the sales tax increase on petrol and diesel, the CPI(M) Udupi District Committee noted that prices of all commodities rose exponentially after the Central government introduced the Goods and Services Tax. The present hike in sales tax on fuel was bound to increase the prices of all commodities, said Committee Secretary Balakrishna Shetty in a statement.

Though the government coffers have suffered with the Centre denying Karnataka’s rightful share in Central taxes, increasing fuel prices was not the solution to fill the treasury, he said demanding immediate withdrawal of the hike.

BJP Mangaluru Division in-charge K. Uday Kumar Shetty termed the fuel price hike as an insult to the injury. The Congress that offered five guarantees to secure power has resorted to fuel price hike to fill the gap. The government has utterly failed to properly implement the guarantee schemes on the one hand and on the other has failed to undertake any development works. By increasing fuel prices after the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress exhibited its cunning nature, he alleged.