New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he attacked the opposition-ruled states for not reducing the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel, saying the excise duty during the UPA government was much lower than what it is under the Modi regime and asked the PM to roll back the hike.
"Modiji, no criticism, no distractions, no Jumlas! Excise Duty during Congress Government - Petrol - Rs 9.48/litre and Diesel - Rs 3.56/litre. Modi Government - Petrol - Rs 27.90/litre and Diesel - Rs 21.80/litre. Please roll back the excise hike of Rs 18.42 in Petrol and Rs 18.24 per litre in Diesel," Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala tweeted.
He also asked PM Modi to give an account of "Rs 27 lakh crore" collected from fuel tax. "Modi ji, No criticism, No distractions, No Jumlas! Pl give an account of ₹27,00,00,00,00,00,00 (₹27 Lakh Crore) collected by BJP Govt from Tax on Petrol & Diesel," he said in another tweet while sharing the 2014 to 2022 figures by Petroleum Planning & Analysis cell," Surjewala wrote in another tweet.
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— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 27, 2022 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
Modi ji,
No criticism,
No distractions,
No Jumlas!
Pl give an account of ₹27,00,00,00,00,00,00 (₹27 Lakh Crore) collected by BJP Govt from Tax on Petrol & Diesel 👇 pic.twitter.com/ZWFveoejRC
">2/n
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 27, 2022
Modi ji,
No criticism,
No distractions,
No Jumlas!
Pl give an account of ₹27,00,00,00,00,00,00 (₹27 Lakh Crore) collected by BJP Govt from Tax on Petrol & Diesel 👇 pic.twitter.com/ZWFveoejRC2/n
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 27, 2022
Modi ji,
No criticism,
No distractions,
No Jumlas!
Pl give an account of ₹27,00,00,00,00,00,00 (₹27 Lakh Crore) collected by BJP Govt from Tax on Petrol & Diesel 👇 pic.twitter.com/ZWFveoejRC
He also juxtaposed the crude oil prices when PM Modi first assumed charge in 2014 with the numbers today. "26th May, 2014, when PM Modi assumed charge, the Crude was 108 US Dollar, but Petrol & Diesel was at Rs 71.41 and Rs 55.49 per litre. Today, Crude oil is US$ 100.20 per barrel, but the Petrol/Diesel prices have been increased to Rs 105.41/litre and Rs 96.67/litre in Delhi," read another tweet of his.
"We will urge all states to decrease VAT on Petrol/Diesel to pre-May 2014 level. Pl admit BJp Govt earned ₹27 Lakh Crore from Petrol/Diesel while all states collectively received about 16.5 Lakh Crore. Central Govt revenue from Petrol/Diesel has doubled in 8 years," Surjewala said in another tweet. Coming down hard on the Opposition-ruled states, Modi on Wednesday said some states did not reduce VAT on petrol and diesel despite the cut in excise duty by the Centre last November.
He said the states had done "injustice" to the people by not transferring the benefits of the cut to them. Speaking at an interaction with chief ministers on the emergent COVID-19 situation in the country, Modi said he wanted to flag the challenges being faced by the people due to the war. "The situation of war which has arisen, has affected the supply chain, and in such an environment, the challenges are increasing day by day," Modi said in an apparent reference to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "This global crisis is bringing many challenges. In such a situation, it has become imperative to further enhance the spirit of cooperative federalism and coordination between the Centre and states," he said.
Also read: PM Modi urges states to cut tax on petrol & diesel
