Opposition parties came down heavily on the BJP-led Centre following the decision to cut excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre each, alleging the move will help refiners offset higher input costs, not provide a discount in retail prices.
AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the Centre of attempting to "befool" the people, alleging that the reduction would provide no relief to the common man.
"Rs 43 lakh crore... Do not be shocked. That is the money collected by the Modi government and the BJP by taxing the people of India over the last 11 years," he claimed.
"Rs 1,000 crore per day for 11 years—that is how much the Modi government has been collecting by imposing excise and customs duties on petrol and diesel alone," he added.
Pointing to the hike in petrol and diesel prices by Rs 5.30 and Rs 3 per litre by Nayara Energy, he said, "..this is a prelude to an imminent hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and gas... thereafter, they will raise prices again of petrol and diesel by up to Rs 20 per litre and gas cylinders by up to Rs 500."
TMC Rajya Sabha member Saket Gokhale said the excise duty cut has been done with an eye on upcoming Assembly elections and not because the government cares for consumers.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose criticised the government for "reactive" policymaking and questioned the timing. "The reduction in excise duty reflects the government's failure... now, they have reduced excise duty because the situation has become an emergency," she said.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also questioned whether the excise duty cut will reduce fuel prices for the common man.
Odisha's opposition BJD demanded that the BJP government slash the VAT rate on petrol and diesel. BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said, "It is not clear whether the consumer will benefit from it," asserting that the VAT rate in Odisha is one of the highest in the country.
The BJP hit back at the Opposition over its "misleading campaign" on fuel prices, claiming the move will provide relief to the common people.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur said, "At a time when fuel prices have risen sharply across the world, India is perhaps the only country that has reduced excise duty and directly benefited 140 crore citizens."
He alleged that Congress-ruled states have increased VAT, adding, "The Congress has repeatedly increased VAT... burdening the common people... in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress government has decided to impose a Rs 5 cess on petrol and diesel."
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis urged people to avoid panic buying.
"The Middle East conflict led to a rise in oil prices... however, those prices did not increase because the government reduced the excise duty by Rs 10 per litre. This enabled oil companies to absorb the burden without passing it on to customers," he said.
State-owned oil companies have been absorbing the impact of high oil prices and have also raised domestic LPG production by 40 per cent by diverting streams previously used to make petrochemicals, leading to record losses.
Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the "very high losses" stood at Rs 24 per litre for petrol and Rs 30 for diesel.
