Cong to protest against fuel price hike

NEW DELHI: The Congress will launch a nationwide agitation from Delhi on Sunday in protest against the hike in fuel prices due to brazen increase in central excise duty on petrol and diesel. The Opposition party accused the BJP-led NDA government of “looting” the common people and “profiteering” at their expense, and warned that it will continue its fight “till the draconian taxation regime” was withdrawn.

Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken said his party would start a signature campaign at petrol pumps from September 17 and launch a big protest on September 20.

He demanded a white paper on taxes imposed on fuel products and the gains made by the government.

“The Congress will launch a nationwide agitation against this burdening of the common man with increased taxes and flooding the coffers of the government,” Maken said.

The Congress has maintained that international crude oil prices had come down by more than 52% since the Modi government took over on May 26, 2014 but petrol prices have skyrocketed to a three-year high.

The total contribution of petroleum products to the central and state exchequers will touch ~5.24 lakh crore in 2016-17, it claimed.

“The way prices are rising and taxes are being imposed on petroleum products and other things and the economy is still going down, it puts a question mark on the working of this government,” Maken said.