Petroleum Minister says fuel will be cheaper if opposition ruled States cut taxes on Petrol instead of cutting taxes on imported liquor

Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri took a dig at opposition ruled states over price rise of fuel saying the petrol will be cheaper if opposition ruled states cut taxes on it instead of imported liquor. In a series of tweets, Mr. Puri said BJP ruled States have a VAT on petrol and diesel in the range of 14.50 to 17.50 rupees per litre while taxes levied by states ruled by other parties are in the range of 26 to 32 rupees per litre.

The Minister said the Maharashtra government imposes tax of 32.15 rupees per litre on petrol while Rajasthan collects 29.10 rupees per litre. On the other hand, BJP ruled Uttarakhand levies only 14.51 and Uttar Pradesh 16.50 per litre. He added that 18 percent VAT on petrol and 16 percent on diesel in Haryana are among the lowest. Mr. Puri alleged that opposition parties intent is only to protest and criticise, not to extend relief to the people.

Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the government over rising fuel prices. He alleged that be it the high fuel price or coal shortage, the Centre passes the buck to the states