Opposition parties condemn Karnataka Government’s hike in fuel price as anti-people

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, June 16, 2024: Opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), have criticized the Karnataka State government’s decision to increase the sales tax on petrol and diesel, calling it anti-people, on Saturday, June 15.

BJP state general secretary and Karkala MLA, V. Sunil Kumar, accused the Congress government in Karnataka of looting the state under the guise of ’Guarantee’ schemes. "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has started the process of filling the empty exchequer by signing an order to hike the cess on petrol by Rs 3 per litre," Kumar said. He pointed out that despite levying additional taxes through various revenue sources, the state exchequer continues to collapse, with a significant revenue collection deficit of Rs 13,000 crore.

Kumar also highlighted the inconsistency in the Congress’s stance, stating, "In the past, Congress had staged a protest against the Centre for hiking fuel prices. Now, the government has increased the cess on petrol even before the budget."

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, state BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra demanded the rollback of the hike in the prices of petrol and diesel in the state and has warned of a statewide protest on June 17.

Former BJP State president Nalin Kumar Kateel issued a statement condemning the Congress government for hiking tax rates and increasing fuel prices, asserting that the government has proven to be anti-people. He alleged that the state coffers have been emptied by unscientific guarantee schemes and ministerial corruption. Kateel also criticized the government for increasing fees on electricity and registration, significantly impacting the common man. He warned that the hike in petrol and diesel prices would raise the cost of essential commodities due to higher transportation costs, exacerbating the already strained law and order situation in the state.

The CPI(M) Udupi District Committee also condemned the sales tax increase on petrol and diesel. Committee Secretary Balakrishna Shetty stated that prices of all commodities had risen sharply since the Central government introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST). He warned that the present hike in sales tax on fuel would further increase the prices of all commodities.