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Updated May 21st, 2022 at 21:58 IST

Gehlot, Thackeray slam Centre over fuel price cut; demand further reduction of excise duty

Soon after the Centre's announcement, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot credited the Congress party for the government's decision to reduce Central excise duty.

Reported by: Shloak Prabhu
Centre
Image: PTI | Image:self
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In a big move, the Centre on Saturday slashed the Central excise duty on fuel prices which is slated to reduce the petrol and diesel prices by Rs 9.5 and Rs 7 respectively. However, as soon as the announcement was made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the opposition, including the Chief Ministers of Rajasthan and Maharashtra immediately slammed the Centre. 

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot has credited the Congress party for the government's decision to reduce Central excise duty. Gehlot has claimed that the central government had to reduce the excise duty because of the continuous protests by Congress against inflation across the country.

Moreover, he has opined that Saturday's deduction "appears to be just a formality" as prices of petrol and diesel have increased by Rs 10 in the last two months. Gehlot has also demanded that the excise duty on fuel should be reduced to the level of pre-2014 when the Congress-led UPA was in power. He has claimed that the same would mean that the prices of fuel will be reduced by about Rs 70 per liter. 

"Due to the continuous protests by the Congress against inflation across the country and the pressure of public awareness campaign against the inflation set in "Navsankalp Shivir, Udaipur", the Central Government today had to decide to reduce the excise duty on petrol and diesel. However, in the last two months, the price of petrol and diesel had increased by about Rs 10 per liter. In such a situation, today's deduction appears to be just a formality," tweeted Ashok Gehlot 

"If the central government really wants to give relief to the common man, then the excise duty should be reduced to the level of the UPA government, due to which the prices of diesel and petrol will be reduced by about Rs 70 per liter and the common man will get relief from inflation," he added 

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray demands further reduction of excise duty on fuel prices 

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has demanded that excise duty on petrol and diesel should be further reduced. In a press release, Thackeray stated that the central government had increased excise duty on petrol. He hit out at the Centre and said that it should "not pretend" to increase prices first and then reduce nominal prices. Thackeray further said that the excise duty of 6-7 years should be reduced. 

"Two months ago, the excise duty on petrol was hiked by Rs 18.42 per litre and today, it has been reduced by Rs 8, while the duty on diesel was increased by Rs 18.24 per litre and now it has been brought down by Rs 6. It is not right to pretend to increase prices first and then reduce rates nominally. Chief Minister Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has said that the citizens of the country will be relieved if the excise duty of 6-7 years is reduced without getting entangled in the web of statistics," the Maharastra Chief Minister said 

Centre reduces excise duty on fuel prices 

The Central government slashed excise duty on petrol by Rs 8 per litre and on diesel by Rs 6 per litre to give relief to consumers as they witness soaring fuel prices which has also pushed inflation to a multi-year high. The excise duty cut will translate into a reduction of Rs 9.5 a litre on petrol and Rs 7 a litre in diesel after taking into account its impact on other levies. 

With PTI inputs 

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Published May 21st, 2022 at 21:58 IST

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