'Congress government looted tax money': Kumaraswamy on Karnataka fuel price hike
PTC News Desk: The Karnataka government, led by the Congress, increased the price of gasoline and diesel by ₹3 per liter, prompting Union minister HD Kumaraswamy to take a stern stand.
"I implore the citizens of this state that this [Congress] administration is embezzling your tax money...According to ANI, the head of Janata Dal (Secular) urged the state's citizens to stage widespread protests.
The opposition JD(S) and Bharatiya Janata Party are furious with the Siddaramaiah-led administration for raising petrol prices following the outcome of the Lok Sabha election.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has disregarded any connection between the increase in petrol prices and the outcome of the election. "There is no connection to the election outcomes; in a democracy, victories and defeats are normal. I say that we lost, not that we didn't try. According to ANI, Siddaramaiah said, "We didn't get the results that we expected, people didn't bless us as we expected."
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"The price of gasoline and diesel is unrelated to the outcome of the election." When the BJP was in power in 2021, there was a 31% tax on gasoline and a 24% levy on diesel. The sales tax was previously 35%, but since the center cut prices, it is now only 25.92%, he continued.
The prices of gasoline and diesel jumped on Saturday due to an increase in sales tax by the Karnataka government. The Finance Department reports that the gasoline sales tax has gone from 25.92 to 29.84 percent, an increase of 3.92 percentage points. There is a 4.1 percentage point increase in diesel, from 14.34 to 18.44 percent.
The BJP has declared that it will be staging protests against the Karnataka government all over the state. "We implore the Chief Minister to revoke this choice right away. We have planned rallies for tomorrow throughout the state, and we won't stop until the raise is reversed, according to BY Vijayendra, the chief of the Karnataka BJP.
- With inputs from agencies
