Hyderabad : Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao slammed BJP government and said BJP lied regarding the international crude oil prices. He also demanded that the BJP has no moral right to ask States to reduce VAT on petrol and diesel.
“Crude oil prices were 105 US dollars in 2014 and now it is 83 US dollars. BJP lied to the public saying that prices of petrol and diesel have increased internationally,” news agency ANI quoted Chandrashekhar Rao as saying in Hyderabad on Sunday.
“What has BJP done in the last 7 years? India’s GDP is less than Bangladesh, Pakistan and Centre has increased taxes unnecessarily,” he said.
Telangana CM also slammed Modi-led BJP government for announcing agitational programmes against the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government for discouraging farmers not to go for paddy cultivation this Rabi season, KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, said it was the Centre which is not willing to procure paddy from the State.
KCR told reporters this evening that the ruling TRS government has not increased VAT on petroleum products and the question of reduction does not arise.
“The cess on petrol and diesel should be withdrawn. We will not allow you to rest (until the NDA government does that). The entire paddy grown in Telangana should be procured by the Centre. The State BJP leaders should stop making hollow statements and they need to make the Centre agree to this and get orders accordingly,” KCR said.
He said though the international crude prices are still hovering at a lower range, the Centre in the name of cess inflated the fuel prices thereby burdening the common man.
According to him, the international prices never touched USD 105 per barrel after 2014, though the Centre increased the prices.
“We have not hiked VAT. We have not increased even a paisa so the question of reduction does not arise. Ever since the TRS government was formed, VAT has not been increased. Which fool will ask us to decrease (VAT)? The fool who increased it will have to reduce it,” KCR said.
“I am demanding the government of India to remove the total cess levied on petrol and diesel. It is possible and it is for benefit of the country. Because without any increase in crude oil prices in international market, the government has unnecessarily levied the cess on petrol and diesel, burdening the poor and middle-class people. Now, if the government is sincere towards the poor people of the country, it should withdraw the total cess…,” KCR said.
“We will continue to fight…and we will hold dharna for withdrawing cess on petrol and diesel,” he said.
“These people are lying about the international (crude) prices. They are imposing cess so that it would not come under the divisible pool. It is burdening the common people. They are evading States devolution,” KCR alleged.
The Telangana BJP chief B Sanjay Kumar on Saturday announced that the party would take up agitational programmes to ensure the State government also reduces the VAT. He also demanded that the State government should buy paddy from farmers.
KCR is wondering which BJP he should trust? The state and Centre aren’t the same. He said, “Delhi BJP says one thing and the silly (sic) BJP (State unit) says another thing. Which is correct?”
For the past several days, the Telangana government has been requesting the farmers not to go for paddy cultivation this season as the Centre is reluctant to buy the commodity.
KCR said the Telangana Agriculture Minister requested farmers to give up paddy cultivation in view of the Centre”s lackadaisical attitude to procure paddy.
KCR further said his party would also support farmers’ stir in the North and would not allow the Centre to rest until those “anti-farm laws” (three new agri laws) are withdrawn.
He also raked up a report given by the Pentagon to the US Congress confirming that China has intruded 4.5 km within the territory of Arunachal Pradesh. “China is attacking us in Arunachal Pradesh but Centre hasn’t taken any action,” the Telangana CM said, continuing his tirade against the Centre.
Alleging that the Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party leaders are claiming they would file cases against him and send him to prison, KCR dared the leaders to touch him. “We’ll cut your tongues if you pass unnecessary comments on us,” KCR warned.
We'll cut your (TS BJP leaders) tongues if you pass unnecessary comments on us. China is attacking us in Arunachal Pradesh but Centre hasn't taken any action: Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao
— ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2021
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
