Forego fuel revenue to ease burden: Oommen Chandy

Thiruvananthapuram: Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the state should forego the additional revenue from the increase in fuel price. He came down heavily on the BJP and LDF Governments for not doing anything to bring down the fuel price hike. He alleged that the LDF Government was shirking its responsibilities and instead blaming the BJP Government at the centre on the petrol-diesel price hike.

Talking to reporters at Indira Bhavan, Chandy informed that despite the price of diesel and petrol having coming down in the domestic market, the centre had not reduced the prices. Chandy claimed that this was being done to help the private petroleum companies. “The BJP Government is dillydallying in bringing down the excise duty on petrol which was Rs 11 during the previous UPA Government and has since been increased to Rs 21.48. Similarly the excise duty on diesel has also shot up to Rs 17.33 from Rs 5.10”, Chandy said.

Currently the price of diesel and petrol is Rs 70 and Rs 77 respectively.  Chandy alleged that the BJP Government had increased the excise duty nine times. He recalled that during the 2011 – 16 fiscal years when the fuel price was hiked for the fourth time, the then UDF Government had decided not to increase the tax. Chandy informed that Rs 619.17 crore worth benefits were provided to people then. He urged the LDF Government that they should at least ensure that the tax on the excess amount should not be imposed.  He added that the voters of Chengannur would show their displeasure against both the LDF and NDA by voting for Congress candidate D. Vijayakumar in the upcoming assembly by-election.