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Updated June 29th, 2020 at 16:55 IST

Goa Congress protests fuel price hike, urges President to intervene

The Goa Congress on Monday protested against the Centre's move to increase fuel prices at a time when people are already hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Goa Congress on Monday protested against the Centre's move to increase fuel prices at a time when people are already hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The party urged the President to direct the Centre for roll back of the hike. Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar and state party unit women's wing head Pratima Coutinho staged a protest in North Goa district, while Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Digambar Kamat led the protest in South Goa district.

"The repeated and unjust increase in the prices as also the central excise duty on petrol and diesel over the last three months of the lockdown has inflicted insurmountable pain and sufferings on the people of the country," the Congress said in its petition submitted to administrations of both the districts.

In May 2014 (when BJP assumed power), the excise duty on petrol was Rs 9.20 per litre and on diesel was Rs 3.46 per litre, it said.

In the last six years, the Union government has increased the excise duty on petrol by an additional Rs 23.78 per litre and on diesel by an additional Rs 28.37 per litre.

This is a shocking 820 per cent hike in excise duty on diesel and 258 per cent on petrol, it said. The Congress claimed that the Centre has earned Rs 18,00,000 crore in the last six years by the increase in excise duty on petrol and diesel alone.

In the last three-and-halfmonths alone, the BJP-led government has increased the price and excise duty on diesel by Rs 26.48 per litre and on petrol by Rs 21.50 per litre, the Congress said.

It urged the President to direct for an immediate rollback of the hike in prices and excise duty post-March 5 this year, and pass on this benefit to the people in these difficult times.

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Published June 29th, 2020 at 16:55 IST

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