New Delhi: The Congress on Friday alleged that the government’s excise cuts on petrol and diesel were because of Assembly elections and pointed out that consumer prices in India were not reduced even when global crude oil prices fell on seven different occasions in the past 12 years.
The Opposition party’s attack came after the government slashed excise duty on petrol to Rs 3 per litre and exempted diesel fully from the duty.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “When global crude oil prices fell as they did on seven different occasions in the past 12 years consumer prices in India were not reduced.”
“Today’s announcement was because of Assembly elections. Wait till April 30th,” he said.
Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry will be held on a single day on April 9, in Tamil Nadu on April 23, and in two phases in West Bengal on April 23 and 29, while votes will be counted for all polls on May 4.
The Congress’s media and publicity department head, Pawan Khera, said, “If you saw the headlines about petrol and diesel prices ‘coming down’ and thought the government had offered relief to your pocket, you’d be mistaken.”
As of now, prices remain the same for dealers and for consumers, he claimed.
“What has actually been reduced is the ‘special additional excise duty’, a levy paid by Oil Marketing Companies to the government. The words ‘special’ and ‘additional’ reveal how unnecessary this tax is,” Khera said on X.
He pointed out that these companies had been absorbing losses since the outbreak of the conflict in West Asia.
“The government has now merely agreed to share a small part of that burden but reducing the ‘special additional’ levy - that too almost a month later,” the Congress leader said.
“Relief exists but only in the narrative -- not in reality. Instead of manufacturing headlines and fooling people, the government should focus on delivering actual relief to consumers,” he said.