Congress on Friday claimed that the cut on ‘special additional excise duty’ on petrol and diesel was due to the Assembly elections and that the relief exists only in the narratives of the government that is “manufacturing headlines and fooling people.”
Congress General Secretary and Communications In-charge Jairam Ramesh said the consumer prices were not reduced when global crude oil prices fell as they did on seven different occasions in the past 12 years
Iba posted on X, and Ramesh slammed the government and 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.
Even Congress media and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera hit back at the government and 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”.
In a post on X, 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 said that 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 claimed.
He said that “the oil marketing companies have 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 by reducing the ‘special additional’ levy—that too almost a month later,” he alleged.
“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,” Khera, who is also a CWC member, said.
The Congress leader also argued that the excise duty cuts are for oil marketing companies and not a relief for the common people, as they will end up paying the same amount even after the reduction.
Slamming Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, he said, “Look at the audacity of (oil minister) Hardeep Puri. He says they want to provide relief to the people of India so they don’t face the burden, and therefore the government of India is taking the burden. The Government of India is the government of the people of India. The money belongs to the people of India.”
The remarks from the Congress. Leaders came after the government on Friday morning explained the rationale behind its decision and said that the cuts are aimed at reducing losses for oil companies at a time when crude oil prices have risen from $70 per barrel to $122 per barrel.
Union minister for petroleum and natural gas Puri, in a post, said, X: “The Modi government had two choices—either increase prices drastically for citizens of Bharat, as all other nations have done, or bear the burden on its finances so that Indian citizens are insulated from international volatility. Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in keeping with his government’s commitment over the last four years since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began, has decided to take a hit on its own finances again to safeguard Indian citizens.”
