The Congress and the BJP took potshots at each other in the Assembly on Thursday, blaming each other’s actions for the increasing prices of petrol and diesel.
While the BJP blamed the Congress for leaving behind payment pending in lieu of oil bonds of over ₹1.36 lakh crore in 2014, the Congress questioned why the BJP government waived huge loans for specific corporate majors, after collecting ₹26.51 lakh crore as fuel taxes.
During the Zero Hour, Congress floor leader K. Selvaperunthagai (Sriperumbudur), referring to a virtual meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chief Ministers of a few States, raised the issue of increasing fuel prices. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan gave their explanations over the issue.
BJP floor leader Nainar Nagenthran (Tirunelveli) said the UPA government, led by Congress until 2014, was the reason for hike, referring to the pending oil bond payments.
Pointing out that the Congress ruled the country for several years since the country’s independence, Mr. Nagenthran said the BJP government had cut down on fuel prices, even as he acknowledged that the DMK government too had cut down on State tax on petrol.
Mr. Selvaperunthagai accepted the argument about the oil bonds but went on to point out that since 2014, the BJP government had collected ₹26,51,919 crore as fuel taxes and questioned where was the collection now. “The BJP government gave huge loan waivers to [corporate majors] Ambani and Adani,” Mr. Selvaperunthagai charged.
Mr. Rajan, who spoke again on the issue, too endorsed Mr. Selvaperunthagai that the BJP government had collected ₹26,51,919 crore as fuel taxes since it came to power in 2014.
